Dormant Endearments
by LoverWolfs1121
Summary: The love of Kate, Humphrey, Garth, and Lilly were yearning to be confessed to each other, but the lack of courage locked them away from their happy and bright future life, and they were separated by the pack law. However, when two unknown wolves appeared, will they be able to turn against the tide?
1. Prologue(1)

**I'm back, Wolfers! My exam's over and I'm proud to present to you this new story, 'Dormant Endearments'! I hope that you will like this story 'cause I'm pretty pumped for this. Now I know what you're thinking. _Hey, I never knew LoverWolfs can come up with great names like this._ The answer to that is... no. I didn't come up with that name, but received help from The Lightning Phoenix, and I would like to give credit to him for that. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this prologue and there'll be a part 2 for this, since I thought it's a good point to stop in this 1st part. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

**(1)**

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><p>The morning sun slowly rose from the east of the snow-topped mountains and towards the clear blue sky, bathing its light across the green land of Jasper Park. Animals were awakened by its powerful glare and warmth and prepared to attack the day, but none of them was as eager as the wolf members of the Western and Eastern pack, for it was a special day and celebration that could change the fate of both packs; it was the marriage of the son of the Eastern pack with the daughter of the Western pack, and this event would cease a war declared in between these two packs. Everyone was busy preparing and organizing the celebration, except for one particular wolf.<p>

The luminous sunlight crawled into a hole dug under an old, medium-sized tree, and hits the face of a young grey male wolf. He rolled away from the disturbance and into the darkness as he was having a wonderful dream that he wished to be endless.

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><p><em>He was running in a large field populated by colorful flowers and showered by sunlight with his crush, which was also his best friend. They jumped around the beautiful landscape gleefully and playfully, feeling disconnected from pressure, problems, sadness, laws, etc.. <em>

_She pounced at him unexpectedly from behind as he was smelling the sweet-scented flowers and he was now lying on his back with her on top, and they smiled as they stared into each other's eyes. _

"_Do you know that you're the most beautiful, graceful, charming, and vivacious lady I've ever met in our pack, Kate?" He asked and she giggled before pecking him on the cheek. _

"_I never knew that. You're the most handsome, funny, playful and romantic man I've ever met in our pack." She replied and a smirk grew across his lips. _

"_Kate." He grabbed her paw that was on his chest and she looked at him curiously as he continued. "I just want to tell you that I…" He was having trouble spitting the next words out and she stared with an eyebrow raised, but he successfully did it with all his courage. "I… I love you." _

_Her face expression changed into a sudden shock, before a smile slowly grew across her lips with a few tears seeping from the edge of her eyes upon hearing his confession, and he stared at her with eyes full of hope, hoping that she felt the same way as him. Finally, she managed to recover from her speechless state. _

"_I… I love you too, Humphrey." She replied, and an uncontrollable grin grew across his face. _

_Slowly, they began to edge towards each other and their muzzles connected with their eyes closed, feeling their tongues wrestling against each other passionately and enjoying their first kiss. At that moment, he didn't care about the restriction of marriage in between Alphas and Omegas, 'cause all he cared about was her. She was the source of his happiness, and the purpose of his life on this world, and he was willing to fight for her under any situations, even if he has to leave his pack. _

_Unexpectedly, he felt one of her paws running down his body and halted at his wolfhood, and his moan vibrated in their mouth as she gripped its shaft gently before massaging it, causing his member to extend out its full length. Their lips slowly disconnected with their eyes fastened on each other, and they panted out hot breaths while craving for more pleasure. _

"_Do you like it, Humph?" She teased, and giggled as his tongue was left hanging out of his mouth, and it flapped as he panted. _

"_Y-y-yes." He moaned, and she halted it by placing a paw on his lips. _

"_Shh. Just close your eyes and relax." And he did what he was told. _

_He gently rested his head on the soft grass and closed his eyes, having a last glimpse of her charming smile before his vision faded to black._

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><p>Unfortunately, as he slowly re-opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the large roots that was poking out of the ceiling of his den and realized that he was having a dream that only lasted for a few minutes in reality. In that instant, he felt his confidence and courage dropped as he remembered that he was just an ordinary Omega whose job was to prevent fights in between his pack members along with his Omega friends, but what he hated to remember most was that today was the marriage of the girl of his dreams with some mutt named Garth, who's the son of the rival pack, and he growled at the thought of it.<p>

_Barf, Barf, Barf. _He muttered in his mind. _Saying his name just makes me wanna puke. What's so good about him that made Kate choose him over me? I mean, I'm a cool and awesome person, and can make anyone laugh with my jokes and personality, but what does he have that could compare to mine? _

Anger and jealousy began to build up in his heart as his mind continuously thought of move negativities and the unfairness to him as he couldn't have the girl he had a crush on since they've met as pups, but in the end, a sigh was the only result he could give to himself as he clearly knows that he has no rights and powerless to change the dumb Alpha-and-Omega-marriage rule as it was the only restriction that was preventing him from 'howling' with Kate.

Strangely, he felt a funny feeling in his private area, as if something really _was_ gripping his wolfhood, and he looked down to find a twisted root perfectly wrapped around his red and fully-erected wolfhood in the correct width, and realized that it was the cause of the pleasure in his dreams. He immediately got onto his four feet and hit the root with a brute force that sent it swinging a few times before coming to a rest, feeling irritated of his feelings being meddled and embarrassed of himself.

_Great. Now how am I going to go outside when I know everyone's gonna stare at my red stick._ He thought in an irritated tone before letting out another sigh, feeling his start of the day already gone to hell. _I guess I'll stay here for a while, and have a few meats at the Feeding Grounds after that before visiting Kate. _And he curled into a fluffy grey ball and rest for a while to kill the time.

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><p>Meanwhile, at the den of the leader of the Western pack, a family of four was already awake and preparing for the celebration as they're the most important guest among all. The parents left for the Feeding Grounds to hunt for their breakfast while their two daughters wait in their den for their return with their meal.<p>

Before they left, Kate's sister was given the task to beautify her sister's appearance by them while they're away, and any girls would be squeaking in excitement upon being given with this job, but she showed the opposite of it. Unfortunately, their parents didn't notice her unnatural behavior the moment when they gave their order as their minds were filled with numerous arrangements that required their full attention, presence and consent, as informed by the pack's Beta, Hutch, who've came by their den a few moments ago, and they've decided to deliver their daughter's meals to them first before doing so.

Kate was sitting at the overhang that overlooked the whole Den Grounds of her pack, and watched as her pack mates run around busily in different directions, like speeding cars on a human road, while waiting for her parents' return with their meal. She was deep in her thoughts about her wedding with the son of the Eastern pack, and wondered if she had made the right choice. She never liked him and nor would she have the idea of accepting him as her mate. Plus, they've only met for a short time, which makes it harder for her to understand his personality and love him. She could clearly see and state every major difference in between them that proves their un-matching according to their behavior, interest, hobbies, etc..

But the greatest fact that stood out among all was his howl, and it was the worst she had ever heard during their first Moonlight Howl, and would never merge with hers. Although these proofs came in mind, she still has no choice but to marry him only for one purpose, and it was to cease a war that was declared by the Eastern pack if her pack's unwilling to share their territory's food source to them as theirs were migrated to hers, and it was the only solution for the sake of both packs and prevent a bloody incident from breaking out.

Surprisingly, those weren't the main cause of her doubt, for it was a feeling of heavy guilt in her heart that burned like raging flames, and she placed a paw on her chest in confusion.

_That's funny. Why do I have this strange feeling that I've let someone down or have disappointed him or her?_ She thought as she clenched onto her gracious mane tighter, feeling it spreading across her heart in a slow pace.

Fortunately, all of her thoughts were pushed aside when she noticed her sister's long absence ever since she walked out of the den to get some fresh air, and decided to check on her as she feared that she may be ill or not feeling very well. She took in a deep breath of the refreshing air before getting up on her paws and walked into her den, and upon strolling in, she found the white female wolf curled in the form of a fluffy ball, with her head facing towards the wall. She took a gentle approach and edged her head slight forward to look at her face, and caught sight of her exhausted expression.

"Lilly? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, and her sister turned towards her and she met her beautiful violet eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a weak smile on the side of her lips.

"Are you sure? You don't look so well to me." She questioned, and watched as she slowly got onto her feet.

"No, I'm fine. I really am. I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all." She persisted as she stretched her aching muscle and yawned.

"Well, okay then." She sighed in defeat and relief. "So, shall we begin with the grooming?"

"Oh, um, yeah." She faked a smile which successfully fooled her.

Kate watched curiously as her beautiful sister searched around the den quizzically before noticing something that was behind a rock, and she dragged her tired body towards it and picked up the hidden object which revealed to be a pinecone.

"When did you get that? I never recalled you walking in here with a pinecone." She question curiously as their eyes met.

"Yesterday, when you were busy talking to Mom and Dad about your marriage. I had to make early preparations." She muffled which earned a smile from her. "Let's do this outside. I need to take in some fresh air." She received a nod from her and they left the den together side-by-side.

Kate then sat at her original place at the overhang and stared down at the Den Grounds, while Lilly sat behind her and began to groom her golden fur with her handy tool. Silence descended upon them for the past few minutes, with only the beautiful melodies sung by three birds that were standing on a high branch of a tree grown close to the den, and the sound of brushing produced by the pinecone as Lilly was doing her job in straightening her sister's fur. During that time, Lilly's mind was buried by the thoughts of her sister's marriage with Garth, the wolf she fell in love at first sight and the man in her dreams.

He was the man that matched her demands well; strong body, handsome-looking, friendly, and very charming. But unlike other female wolves, she was the only lady who liked his personality, which was very important in finding the right match, and understood who he truly was and accepted it. She had helped him in unlocking his true howl that was buried deep inside his heart, and at that moment, she knew when she stared into his eyes that he had fallen in love with her.

Sadly, she felt her heart being torn into two when she heard about the plan for the marriage of Kate and Garth due to her return along with Humphrey last night that was kept a secret from her, and cried heavily at the place where Garth had taught her how to correctly pounce at a hanging pinecone all to herself without anyone knowing, and this was the truth behind her exhaustion.

"Lilly? Lilly!" Kate called profusely, and Lilly immediately shook her head while blinking a few times.

"Wh-What?" She questioned in confusion as she met her sister's gaze. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, feeling worried once again due to her sudden inactivity.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. Don't worry, I'll be fine." And she continued to brush her sister's fur.

"Well, if you can't attend the wedding, just tell me, alright? Don't take yourself too hard, or you'll hurt your health."

"I know, and I will." She replied, but she had no intention to attend it at all as she doesn't want to create a scene in the crowd; she wouldn't be able to hold back her overflowing tears, which would catch her parent's and everyone's attention, and watching Kate and Garth rubbing their muzzles together to end the ritual would worsen her emotions.

"Anyways, I need your help in something."

"Ask away." She muffled as she brushed her back.

"Well, I have this sort of-" The sound of footsteps echoed in their ears, causing it to perked upwards and interjected her question along with their conversation, and they turned towards the source of the sound to find their parents walking up the gradual slope beside the den that leads down to the surface, and towards them with a large chunk of Caribou meat in their mouth.

"Hey mom. Hey dad." The sisters chorused in a different tone according to their mood, which Kate was cheerful and Lilly was depressed.

"Hello, my little angels." Their mother muffled before placing her hunt, along with her mate, on the ground infront of them. "How are you two doing?"

"Fine." Kate replied with a smile.

"Likewise…" Lilly said as she turned away in an attempt to hide her sad expression, which failed as they noticed it.

Their mother walked towards her and gently turned her head towards her with her paws, and was greeted by a frown from her.

"I think I know why you're sad, darling." And her eyes widened in fear as the consequences of a secret love in between an Omega with an Alpha was very clear to her, and she and Garth would be in hot water if their parents knows the truth, but their love wasn't confirmed as they haven't confessed to each other yet. Not at this time, but she would be very eager to do so when she has the chance and sufficient courage.

She watched with her heart pounding rapidly as her mother stared into her eyes before letting out a laugh which puzzled them.

"You're worried that you can't play with your sister anymore, right?" And she let out a deep sigh of relief at her wrong assumption and smiled weakly.

"Y-yeah. How did you know?" She questioned curiously, although she wasn't interested in knowing it.

"Mother Senses." She cheered joyfully with a wink. "Anyways, don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to spend with your sister after her wedding. For now, just wear a smile for your sister, daddy and mommy, alright?" She said gleefully and Lilly gave a deceiving smile, which she was a master in along with other expressions and tones, and it fooled them with ease. "Now that's my beautiful daughter."

"Thanks mom." And their parents turned towards Kate who was watching them silently, and their mother gave her a warm hug, which she reciprocated well and they exchanged smiles as they broke apart. "I can't believe this day has come so fast without us noticing, am I right, Winston, dear?" She asked as she turned towards her mate who wore a smirk on his lips as he was the proud father in this wedding, so as the leader of the Eastern pack.

"Yes, Eve, darling. Time indeed passed faster than we expected." And he turned towards Kate and placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Kate. Your mom and I are very happy to see that you're doing your responsibility, and once again, I'm sorry for forcing you to marry Garth for the sake of both packs." He frowned, and Kate felt her guilt worsening at his statement, but it wasn't about the force marriage, instead it was about her responsibility.

"It's fine, Dad. I understand my duty as the daughter of the leader of the Western pack, and I must protect my own, for that is the main role of an Alpha." And it beamed Winston and Eve with pride greatly, but a throb of guilt from her heart was the payment for her statement.

"Now honey, remember this as I'm sure it'll come in handy any time. If Garth gets out of hand or betrayed you in any way, I want you to rip his tail off and shove it down his trachea." She said in a pleasing tone, and received wide-eyed stares from them, except Lilly whose heart was burning in anger at her mother's statement about her Romeo.

"Um, thanks for the suggestion, Mom." She replied awkwardly after snapping out of her surprised state.

"Just let Mommy know if you can't handle him, and I'll see your problem solved in a split second." She made a devil smirk that crept them and sent shivers down their spine, except Lilly whose blood was boiling violently.

"I believe it's time for us to leave them in peace, honey." Winston interjected, gaining his mate's attention.

"Oh, right. There's a lot of arrangements that requires our attention." And she turned back towards her daughters. "Meet us at the valley when both of you are ready." And just when their parents were about to leave, Lilly's statement froze their legs onto the ground.

"I'm not going." And they turned towards Lilly whose head was lowered and facing towards the ground in sadness.

"Why not?" Eve asked in confusion. "Your sister's wedding is a once in a life time moment, darling."

"I just… don't feel like going. I'm sorry."

"But-"

"It's okay, mom. She didn't sleep well last night, so she needs her rest. You don't want her to hurt her health now, do you?" Kate interjected to aid her sister and reasoned with their mother, and her eyes widened in surprise at her daughter's question.

"Of course not. I wouldn't do that to my daughter, and I'm not a cold-hearted mom. I understand my daughters, and always wanted the best for them, am I right, darling?" She answered pleasingly with a smile as she faced towards Winston who once again listened to their conversation silently, and Lilly seemed to be normal from the outside, but in her mind were booming voices and rage upon hearing her honeyed words.

_Does preventing me from loving Garth not make you cold-hearted, mom? _Lilly thought angrily. _You said that you wanted the best for me, but the only feelings that you've given to me now was pain and sadness. Your statement of understanding your daughter is false, mom, and I'm very disappointed in you. I never felt so sad in my entire life. How could you do this to me?_ Her inner self was crying of the pain that she was suffering at this moment, but luckily, she wasn't expressing her emotional pain to them as they proceeded with their conversation.

"Yes. Your mom and I loved both of you dearly since you two entered their world, and gave you the best among all the wolves in this pack." He said as he looked at his daughters. "You can stay here for as long as you like, Lilly. We won't force you to attend, but you can still come if you're well-rested and comfortable."

"Thanks, dad." Lilly smiled which he reciprocated before turning back to his mate.

"Come on. Let's not waste any more time." And received nod from her, and they gave their daughters a hug before they left.

Kate and Lilly watched as their parents strolled down the slope and headed towards the direction of where the valley was before feasting on their tasty meal silently.

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><p>Humphrey's plan was set into action as he was on his way to the leader's den after finishing up his pleasant meal at the feeding ground, and a decision he had made as he left confirmed that this will be his last visit to Kate; a choice that every heart-broken wolf would come to. He had told his three best omega friends about it as they were also at the feeding ground when he arrived, and it dumbfounded them with shocked expressions on their faces, but he doesn't need to tell them his purpose as they knew it all too well. They tried to change his decision by firing a machine gun loaded with the most helpful and friendly suggestions they have at him, but it wasn't able to pierce though his thick skin, and all it takes to stop them was a raise of his paw. They understood its meaning well as he gestured it only when he's serious, <em>deadly<em> serious, and all they could do was wishing him good luck and pray for his safety.

As he walked on the clear path surrounded by tall trees that loomed above him, with the sun moving towards the center of the sky at a snail's pace, multiple thoughts crossed through his mind that threw him into a curious and confused state. The main question that held in his mind was does she have any strong affections towards him? The cause that arose it wasn't due to how great and friendly he'd treated her since they're pups, but the spark of love that he felt from her when they howled on the train that brought them back to Jasper after being relocated to Sawtooth National Park for repopulation purposes, which shocked them greatly upon being told about it by two friendly birds named Marcel and Paddy.

Marcel was a male French Canadian goose, but preferred himself to be straight French, who speaks in a French accent and has a passion for golf, while Paddy, on the other paw, was a male yellow duck who speaks in an English accent and was the golf caddy of Marcel. Both of them were enjoying a game of golf in a large clearing under a clear and sunny day when the two relocated wolves found them, and felt terrified upon finding them fast approaching before taking off. Unfortunately, Humphrey gripped Marcel by the leg and forcefully pulled him down, and he thought he was a dead goose at that moment, but it turns out that Kate and Humphrey only wanted information of their whereabouts and how are they going to get back to Jasper.

Fortunately, these two friendly birds agreed to help them due to their sympathy for them, and a favor that needed to be returned by Marcel for not being eaten by them. Numerous events occurred during their past few days of getting back to Jasper, from riding on the back of a human van sneakily to fighting off bears on the top of a snow-coated mountain, and finally, they had the last ticket ride home on the Canadian Express, a train that would lead them straight to Jasper Park, their warm and cozy home. This was where they howled together towards the silver glowing moon that seemed to be kilometers away, and unlike their howls when they're pups, both of them howled with great beauty and passion that surprisingly matched with each other. An old legend was told in their ancestor's time and being passed on till this generation states that when the howl of a male perfectly unites with a female's, it means that they were destined to be a couple, and Humphrey was starting to believe that fact as they howled.

Sadly, just when he was about to confess his love to her after their beautiful howl, she leaped out of the carriage they were in without notifying him before he witnessed it; both Eastern and Western packs were at the valley and about to start a bloody scene. Without hesitation, he immediately followed her and they reached the center of the valley in the nick of time, but he was shocked when her father, Winston, told her that she'll be marrying Garth now that she has returned, which broke his heart painfully and he felt his body being torn apart as he watched her walked away surrounded by her girlfriends. How can he not know about this? Has she been hiding this behind his back all this time? If she didn't, then why didn't she tell him earlier or during their travel? He never felt so betrayed in his entire life, betrayed by someone he loved and treasured most, and regretted in helping her getting back to their home. He did it only because he loved her.

_Why didn't she tell me?_ He thought quizzically before hearing his emotions answering him in different perspectives.

_Maybe she doesn't want to hurt you. _

_Maybe she wants to surprise you. _

_Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you._

More and more predictions came to him and they could be true, and he can understand each of them, but then came a thought that he completely disagreed to.

_Maybe she didn't tell you because if she did, you won't help her get back to Jasper and prevent her from marrying her sweet and beloved Romeo. _

_No! That's not possible! I'm her best friend, and I'm sure she won't take any advantage of me, 'cause she's the kindest and most lovely girl I know in my pack._ He argued back in his mind, feeling a spark of anger in his heart towards the negative side of him.

_And what if she did? _It challenged, and it placed Humphrey into a dead stop as it echoed in his mind with his eyes fixed on the ground and stood under the sunlight that was warming up his fur.

"Then I'm disappointed in her." He muttered, and proceeded to walk with his thoughts pushed aside.

When he arrived at his destination, he found Kate sitting along the overhang infront of her den and staring down at the den grounds with her golden fur well-groomed, and assumed that her sister has done it for her. The continuous tapping of the tip of his claws on the ground in his every step caught her attention as she turned around to face him.

"Hey Humphrey." She greeted with a smile.

"Hey." He replied as he sat infront of her. "How's everything going?"

"Well, I'm pretty nervous about the wedding today. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it." She frowned a little and slightly lowered her head with unconfidence, and it hurts him seeing that unsuitable look on her beautiful face.

"Of course you are. You look more amazing that I could ever imagine." He said cheerfully, but deep in his heart were pain and depression circulating and strengthening, and their eyes met.

"Thank you, Humphrey." She smiled beautifully. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I'm just checking up on my best friend," His weak smile slowly faded away into a frown after a short pause. "and paying her my last visit." Her eyes immediately widened in shock.

"You're leaving?!"

"Yeah. I… need to spend some time alone for a while, and have an adventure of my own. I might also use this time to search for my parents."

Humphrey was an orphan who was found a few meters within the pack border by Hutch and was brought to Winston and Eve for judgement. He was less than a week old during that time, and Hutch reported to them that there was no sign of his parents, but there were footprints left by them that showed that they were in a hurry. Clearly understanding the situation, Winston decided to welcome him as a part of his pack and placed him under Omega School until he graduated, and let a kind family in his pack to look after him till he's a month old.

His early life as a pup was difficult as everyone were strangers to him, except the family that took care of him, and had been living on his own for a week under an old tree which was his current den in the present, until he met three omegas who was the same age as him, and they are Salty, Shakey, and Mooch. They showed him the way of life and helped him in gaining more friends in the pack. They spent most of their free time together and played fun games like Hide-and-Seek, Tag, Catch the Rabbit, etc.. These people were his savior in surviving this pack.

"Will you be coming back?" She asked in disappointment about his leave.

"No, I don't think so. So this will be our last meeting." He replied. "I guess it's time for me to part. The train will be here soon."

"I'll miss you, Humphrey." She slightly sobbed as she hugged him tightly.

"Likewise." He answered and reciprocated the hug before breaking apart.

She watched as he turned away and walked towards the gradual slope, and he turned his head around to give her one last glance, a depressed look that she will remember forever and she could see sadness in his eyes, before walking down and towards the den grounds. She had never seen him behaving unusually before. He was always a happy-go-lucky and hilarious wolf, and yet he behaved like a… lone wolf who lost its nature, like a white light lost in the darkness.

When he fully disappeared, tears began to overflow from her eyes unexpectedly and she began to cry uncontrollably, which surprised her. It was true that his leave really saddened her and it was heart-breaking to watch him leave, but she wasn't expecting herself to show such a huge reaction towards it. Could this be related to the guilt that she felt in her heart? She doesn't know, but what she does know was that his leave definitely affected her emotions greatly and the strong bond that they built in between them.

What she doesn't know was Lilly was lying awake inside the den and facing away from her, and overheard their whole conversation. That was when something clicked in her mind…

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><p><strong>So, what do you guys think? What did Lilly thought of? If you think you know what's gonna happen, then keep it to yourself. I don't want the tension to be ruined, or if there is any, of course. Let me inform you this first: the next part might take a while 'cause I just finished my exam and needs to work on the plot of this story first, and I sincerely hope that you guys can wait for the next part to come. Anyways, as usual, leave a reviewfollow/favorite. It really helps me out a lot and I'll see you in the next part. Peace off. -LoverWolfs1121 **

**P.S: 'A Warrior's Death' is about to reach 8200 views soon, so horray for that!**


	2. Prologue(2)

**I'm definitely not dead, so as this story, alright? The next chapter will take some time to finish as I'll be busy thinking about the next event that'll be happening in it, so please be patient. Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

**(2)**

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><p>Kate sat along the overhang infront of her den and watched her pack mates slowly disappeared one-by-one as they headed towards the valley to attend the wedding ceremony, <em>her<em> wedding ceremony, and the thoughts of Humphrey's sudden leave haunted her deeply with reasons that were unknown to her.

Her first encounter with Humphrey was during her parent's visit to his _adoptive_ parents back when she was a pup. They were the only family whom her father pays a visit to every month among all in her pack due to the fact that the father in that family was his old and closest friend other than Tony. Humphrey's un-biological father's knowledge was almost equally matched to Winston's, but he proved to be more capable of being a leader of the pack than him as he was the son of the previous leader and has more rights and power.

Winston would visit more than once only during special occasions hosted by Humphrey's new family, and in this case, one of Humphrey's three siblings' birthday, which was Kate's best friend. She was very excited about the event due to two reasons, one was she'll be able to celebrate with her great friends, and the other, surprisingly, was to meet Humphrey. The truth behind it was because two of his siblings were girls and the last was a boy, but all three of them were Alphas. She rarely met an Omega personally before, nor spoke much to one as her parents were pretty sensitive towards it, fearing that that action might meddle with the pack law and they would be heart-broken to punish their own flesh and blood if that happens. In the end, she could only watch them from afar as they played joyfully with happy faces while she sits and does boring activities with her friends. Her sister, Lilly, was just a week old during that time, so she won't be able to know if she was an Alpha, Omega, or other roles of the pack until she reaches a month.

It was one of the highlights in her entire life, and she remembered it very well.

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><p><em>Winston escorted her down the gradual slope beside their den and to the surface before heading towards the feeding ground to hunt a Caribou as her friend's birthday gift. It was one of the best ways in gifting someone during special events, other than crafting a flower necklace or creating other beautiful accessories, etc.. Her mother wasn't accompanying them as she has to take care of her little sister, and carrying her along to the party would be a difficult load. <em>

_As they arrived at their first destination, her father immediately scanned for any signs of prey with her watching before spotting a Caribou of a size that he has never seen before, and it earned a smile on Winston's lips as he hits the jackpot. He turned towards her and gently patted her head. _

"_Stay here, darling. Daddy will be back in a sec with the present for your friend." He smiled before entering the brightly-lit green woods. _

_As he disappeared behind the thick brushes, she immediately sprang into action as she ran to look for a higher ground and found a large rock a distance away from her position. She climbed it with top speed and stood at the top with her eyes scanning the woods for her father, and that's when the slight rustling of leaves caught her attention. She turned towards it to find her father crawling in the long grass and towards his prey in a slow pace with his eyes fastened on it. Watching her father hunt always fascinates her as the thrill of the hunt spikes her interest by the way her parents told her about that intense feeling, and the skill potential her father contain always amazed her, and she was looking forward to perform a hunt herself. _

_She watched closely as the proximity between her father and his prey reduced in a fast pace, learning and interpreting his every move in her mind, and he halted to wait for the golden opportunity. Seeing that it'll take a long duration for that moment to come and with her patience running low, she decided to help him out by letting out a loud howl which caught the attention of his prey, its head turning towards her position and leaving its neck vulnerable to him. Not willing to waste any more precious time given, he pounced at his prey and clamped his jaws onto its neck, catching it by surprised and not giving it any chances to react. It cried in pain and struggled to escape from his deadly grasp, but with no luck and Winston ended its life with a slight twist on its neck, creating a __**snap**__ sound and leaving it collapsing to the ground lifelessly. He gazed upon his prize for a moment before turning towards the source of the howl to find his daughter smiling gleefully at him, which he reciprocated with pride at her quick-thinking and fast-reaction skills. This shows that she had paid a hundred percent attention to him when he taught her something important that will surely help her in her future life._

_She climbed down from the tall rock cautiously, trying not to injure herself that'll frighten her father, and her mother even more when they reached home, and watched as he slowly emerged from the brushes and dragging his prize along with him. He sat it down as she ran by his side and nuzzled her lovingly with a smile. _

"_Good job, sweetheart. That was a good call from you." He said cheerfully. _

"_Thanks, dad." She replied in an adorable tone. _

"_So, shall we head off to the party?" _

"_Yeah!" She squeaked as the feeling of joy overwhelmed her due to the sudden remembrance of her objectives and caused her father to chuckle before assisting him by gripping one of the front legs of the Caribou with her mouth while he gripped by the nape, and they began to drag it at a normal pace as there was no rush in attending the party._

_Her friend's den, which was also the den of Winston's friend, was several meters away from the feeding ground, so it wasn't really difficult to drag their way to there, but the large amount of time required and effort consumed was undeniable. After a few struggles in their journey, they finally arrived at their primary destination; a large elder tree with a hole underneath and surrounded by other trees of the same height that loomed above them. She could see some of her friends being accompanied by their parents entering the den with small gifts in their mouths, except large ones like Caribous or deers which were left piled up at one side of the tree as their size were too big to fit the small entrance. _

_Winston and Kate placed their Caribou next to the others, and as they did, they noticed that their hunt was the largest among all the other Caribous which caused a smirk to grow across their lips. After having a moment to catch their breath, they turned towards the entrance to find two wolves crawling out of the hole to welcome them with open arms. One of them was an adult male Alpha wolf with crimson red pelt and opal eyes while the other was a male Omega pup with a grey pelt and sapphire eyes. _

"_Hello again, Jack." Winston greeted with a smile as he approached his old friend. _

"_Hello, Winston." Jack greeted as he reciprocated the smile. "Thanks for the gift by the way, and I can see that my family doesn't need to leave our den for a long time as this amount of food could feed us for weeks." He laughed as he looked over to the amount of meals he has received from his guests. _

"_Yeah." He chuckled at the fact he had stated. "Why don't we enter the den and continue our conversation?" _

"_Sure. No problem." And Winston turned towards Kate who was watching them silently along with the grey pup, staring at them with adorable eyes. _

"_Go on and have fun, darling." He smiled and turned towards the grey pup who he knew very well of. "Why don't you entertain my daughter, Humphrey? You can be friends with her. I don't mind." A surprised expression spread across Kate's face upon hearing unexpected words from her father, before changing into a large grin._

"_Really, dad?!" Kate said in disbelief, and Winston nodded his head before receiving a warm hug on one of his front legs from her due to her small size. "Thank you!" _

"_You're welcome, darling." He answered as he reciprocated the hug._

_Winston never actually wanted his daughter to play with an Omega, but the truth was because Humphrey was completely different from the other Omegas; he was unique, talented, hilarious, and has the highest grade in Omegas school. He noticed his mistake in preventing her from socializing with any Omegas as their main job was to break up fights and entertain the Alphas with their hilarious personality to relieve their stress from duties, and wanted the best for his daughter, and so he would be his best choice. Plus, Humphrey deserved to have more friends due to his sad and depressing past. He knew he's gonna have to convince his mate into this, and also receive a few scolding from her once they arrived home._

"_I'll let the others know that you're he-" Jack was being cut off when Kate interjected. _

"_You don't need to. I'll come in a few minutes later." And a puzzled expression formed on his face as he turned towards Winston. _

"_I'll explain why to you once we're inside." He said with a sigh, knowing that his friend's not gonna believe his foolish-sounding explanation, and received a nod from him before entering the den. _

_Kate and Humphrey watched as their parents disappeared into the dark hole before turning their attention towards each other. It was at that moment that she felt her energetic level dropped into awkwardness as silence descended upon them, and none of them was courageous enough to speak up. Finally, she gathered sufficient of it to break the silence. _

"_You're… Humphrey, right?" She questioned nervously as her amber eyes met his deep blue eyes. _

"_Yeah." He replied after a short pause. "What's your name?" _

"_Kate." She smiled, feeling relieved that their conversation's beginning to run smoothly. "So, how's your life here? Do you like it?" _

"_Well, living here's really peaceful and quiet, albeit I don't really have many friends. I only have three so far, and they're all Omegas."_

"_Do you consider your siblings as friends?" _

"_Yes, but much more higher than that. They treated me like a brother, so I'll do the same to them." _

"_What do you usually do?" _

"_Play around, of course. I hang out with my friends sometimes, only if my dad allows it." A curious look suddenly formed on his face that puzzled her. "It's kinda funny that you're interrogating me for some reason, and I don't know why." _

_Her cheeks instantly flushed into a crimson red upon coming to her realization and he raised an eyebrow as she planted a paw on her face. _

"_I'm so sorry. It's just that…" She was having trouble spitting the next few words out, and he edged an ear slightly towards her in curiosity until she succeeded. "I rarely met or spoke much to an Omega before, so it's kinda hard for me to socialize with you." _

"_Why is that?"_

"_I don't know. My parent's just being sensitive, I guess." She replied cluelessly as she still has much to learn at her young age and has no idea about the pack law._

_Humphrey went silent for a moment as he seemed to be deep in his thoughts before her call pulled him back to reality. _

"_I think I can change that." He challenged, and she gave a puzzled look as she had no clue of his ideas. "But it doesn't matter now. Why don't we play a game before joining the others?" _

"_Sure." She felt hyperactive once again as she knew games created by Omegas were the best, and was ready for anything that was about to be thrown at her. _

_He hummed for a moment as he scrolled through the ideas in his mind until his face lit up with a smile. _

"_Why don't we play Hide-and-Seek? You know the rules, right?" _

"_Not really. I never played games before." _

"_I guess my predictions were right." And she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. _

"_What was it?" _

"_You Alphas are boring and dull." _

_She chuckled. "Yeah, that's true."_

"_Alright, let me roll out the rules. There are two main roles in this game; the hider and the seeker. The seeker will count to ten with their eyes closed while the hider looks for a spot to hide from the seeker during that time, and if the seeker founds the hider, he or she wins. But if the seeker gave up, all he or she had to do is to call out for the hider and the hider wins. No scent-tracking or peeking during counts allowed. Got it?" _

"_Got it." She nodded with a smile. _

"_Alright. Let's play here, since there's plenty of spot to hide." And he was right. There were brushes everywhere around them along with thick trees and small old holes on the ground dug by rabbits. _

"_Okay. So, who'll be the seeker?" She asked curiously and he placed a paw on his chest. _

"_I will, and to be honest, I'm terrible at this game. I picked this specially for you because you're a beginner, so you're in luck. Not every Omegas does this to beginners." And she giggled adorably at his statement._

"_Why wouldn't they?" _

"_It's because they always lose in this game when playing with Alphas who were trained in stealth and stalk." He reasoned, and it actually made sense to her._

"_I suppose I should be thanking you then." And he smiled in return before walking towards a nearby tree and began to count with his eyes closed. _

_She immediately ran away from him as fast as she could the moment when the countdown began and scanned her surroundings as she ran for any good hiding spots. Luckily, she found a thick brush that was less visible from his position and hid in it and waited for him to finish. _

_3… 2… 1… _

_The air was immediately filled with silence when he finished and her eyes shifted from one area to another around her for any signs of him, and found him walking away from her location, which caused her to giggle inwardly and silently. She watched as he walked passed her couple of times for the past ten minutes with a clueless expression that was priceless. In the end, he sat on the ground in exhaustion and called out for her in defeat, and surprisingly-yet-coincidentally, he was directly infront of her hiding place and thus giving her an opportunity to scare him, which she was happy to do so. _

_Surprisingly, she watched as he began to turn around slowly as if he had sensed something-or someone- was in the brush behind him, and it was during that moment she pounced at him and caught him off-guard. They rolled across the grass-covered soil for a few seconds before coming to a halt with him lying on his back and her on top, with her giggling as she met his terrified expression before turning into a smile. _

"_Damn it. I knew there was something in that brush, but I didn't listen to my senses." He sighed in defeat as he lost the game and she chuckled at her success in her first game. _

"_I win!" She cheered joyfully and earned a smirk from him, as if her beauty has somehow adored him, but she didn't take note of that. _

"_Why don't we play a few more rounds? This time, you're the seeker." He said as their eyes met. _

"_You're on." She gave him a challenged look, which he reciprocated with a mischievous smirk, before allowing him to get onto his small paws and walked towards a random tree to begin a new round. _

_As they were enjoying the game, Humphrey's siblings and a few pups walked out of the den along with his mother, Jasmine, a beautiful light brown wolf with emerald eyes, and they watched as Kate found Humphrey in a brush a meter away from the den and they smiled as they were enjoying their time together. Jasmine was really glad to see her adopted son beginning to meet new faces and befriend them, especially with the daughter of the leader of her pack which was a great honor and a rare opportunity. _

_Humphrey was the shyest Omega she has ever seen after living in the Western pack for more than three years, and he didn't dare to face or join the social world initially as all he did at school was focusing on his teacher's lessons and only chat with his siblings at home. Luckily, three of his newfound Omega friends from school were able to pop his bubble and slowly guide him in socializing with new people, and now he was a lively and happy-go-lucky pup who helps others in their problems and placed others before him. _

"_I've never seen your brother to be that happy before, Jake." One of the invited pups said in awe to one of Humphrey's siblings. _

_Jake was an active Alpha pup who has the pelt of his father and the eyes of his mother. He was a loyal pup to his family and protective towards them, and was one of the best students recognized in Alpha School. Ever since Humphrey had joined their family, he had been friendly to him and treated him as a brother and a close friend. He would often teach him a few moves that he learned from school in exchange for a few jokes to play with his friends. _

"_That's because you haven't socialize with him yet." He replied with a smile as he watched his brother tackled the golden female pup playfully. "But now is the best opportunity for you to do so." _

"_Awesome!" He heard from the same pup who has told him that statement and chuckled. _

"_Well, I think it's time for them to come in and play with us, Lucy. I'm awfully bored." Another of the invited pups said in an unsatisfied tone to another of Humphrey's siblings. _

_Lucy was a kind-hearted and wise Alpha pup who has a lighter red pelt and opal eyes. Like Jake, she was a loyal pup to her family and protective towards them, but she's a standard student in school. However, she can come up with amazing strategies in combats and ambushes that completely surprised her teachers. There was one time when Hutch paid her school a visit and her talent caught his attention, and he told her that she can be a great Beta when she grew up, which turned into her ambition since that day. _

"_Fine by me. What do you think, Leah?" She questioned as she turned towards her sister who was standing beside her. _

_Leah was an Alpha pup of great beauty and kindness that would often caught the attention of males in Alpha School, and she has her mother's pelt and the eyes of his father. But do not judge a book by its cover, for she has a great talent in combat and stealth kills that could catch anyone off-guard. She hoped that she'll be able to form and lead an Ambush group for the pack someday that would bring pride to her pack, family and friends. Today, she'll be a few days older than her siblings, but the same age as Humphrey and Kate._

"_Why don't we join them? It'll be more fun if there are more people playing." She answered with a smile before approaching the playful and laughing pups. "Hey guys, can we join you?" _

"_Sure!" Both pups chorused as they giggled, and the others smiled gleefully before joining them, with Jasmine watching them silently and a grin on her lips._

* * *

><p>The party went well in the end, with everyone leaving the den with joyful expressions on their faces. Ever since that day, Humphrey had been hanging out with Kate almost every day and it slowly convinced her mother to not worry about breaking the pack law after the unsuccessful persuasion of her father. He had helped her a lot during her sad times and relieved her stress accumulated from duties by playing wide varieties of fun games. This has brought them very close and formed strong friendship bonds in between them, but it has broken due to his sudden leave for requiring some time alone.<p>

Upon realizing that she had been sitting at the same place for more than five minutes that caused her muscles to ache, she decided to check on her sister first to ensure that she's resting well before leaving for her wedding. She slowly got onto her paws and gave her muscles a good stretch before walking towards the entrance of the den and approached her sister silently as she entered, fearing that the sounds of her footsteps might disturb her. She found her lying on the ground in the form of a fluffy ball and facing towards the wall of the den once again, and she edged her head slightly forward to have a good glimpse of her sister's face and found her asleep, which gave her a sigh of relief. She slowly walked out of the den and gave her sister one last glance before trotting towards the valley, feeling relieved of her condition, but her guilt has not yet diminished and was growing stronger instead, and it began to bug her more than she could ever realize.

_Am I… doing something wrong?_ She thought as her mind was being filled with fear and nervousness, but she managed to ignore it and proceeded to trot.

Her journey was silent with only the birds singing around her and the sun glaring powerfully as she walked, causing her fur to glow and her eyes to squint at the light intensity. Finally, she arrived at her destination and found her pack mates already waiting for her arrival along with her parents. As she walked over to her parents, she looked to the other side of the valley and found the Eastern wolves watching her and caught sight of the groom of the wedding, Garth, who was the son of the leader of the Eastern pack, Tony. Garth had lost his mother when she gave birth to him due to the large loss of blood, and Tony's behavior changed because of it, from a friendly and caring wolf into a bad-tempered and grumpy father.

Kate stood beside her mother and found Jack to be beside her father, and they gave her a look that questions about her preparation for the fate that will change her whole life, and she nodded confidently-but-uncertainly without following her heart. Winston then faced towards the rival pack and raised a paw to signal them, which they understood its meaning well. Kate watched as Garth began to walk towards the altar which was located at the center of the valley and she followed his actions, but walked at a slower pace as her guilt was growing stronger and stronger, and yet she ignored it and remained strong. Finally, both Alphas stopped infront of each other and felt awkward as everyone's eyes were fastened on them with silence in the air.

"So… who'll start?" Kate whispered nervously into Garth's ears and he did the same to hers.

"I'll do it." And she nodded in agreement.

Both of them took a deep breath in to reduce the tension in their body before he began by accepting her scent, with her following, and moving on to the second stage of nibbling each other's ears, and finally came the final stage of rubbing their noses to end the ritual and symbolize them as mates. This was their last chance of backing out, but none of them could choose that option as it would lead to a war that will shed a lot of blood from both packs, and they don't want that to happen. Numerous questions ran through Kate's mind as she began to edge her muzzle towards Garth's. Was this her fate as an Alpha? Does she really want this? Living with a wolf that she doesn't love? Was she doing the right thing? Sadly, there's no turning back now. What she was doing was her responsibility, so was Garth. Nothing more.

In the end, their muzzles touched with their eyes closed and everyone from both packs cheered in joy at their successful wedding and the unity of both packs. However, an unexpected realization hit Kate like a brick wall, and it shocked her terribly. It began with the thoughts that Lilly gave her earlier ago.

* * *

><p><em>Kate and Lilly had just finished their meal and proceeded with the grooming before Lilly continued the conversation at where her sister had left off. <em>

"_So, what were you asking me a few moments ago?" She asked, and Kate somehow tensed a little upon recalling it. _

"_Oh, right. I have this… sort of guilt in my heart that made me felt like as if I have betrayed someone close to me." She replied, and Lilly immediately bit down forcefully on the pinecone in her mouth until it shattered into tiny pieces before sitting beside her. _

"_Well, who's the closest to you other than me, Mom and Dad?" She question, as if she was interviewing her sister, and watched as she trailed off for a moment in her thoughts before looking back at her. _

"_No one else but Humphrey, I guess." She answered quizzically. _

"_Did he behave unusually when you two arrived at Jasper, or have you seen anything strange or unusual from him?" _

"_He didn't behave strangely, but I caught a glimpse of his shocked-yet-sad expression from him last night when I left him to his Omega friends." _

"_What were the things you two did before arriving here?"_

"_Um… we howled at the moon-" _

"_What?!" A surprised look spread across Lilly's face upon hearing the unexpected action from her sister. _

"_I know, I know. But his howl was amazing though, which I couldn't resist howling with it. Also, don't think that you can weasel out from your crime of howling with Garth." She winked at her sister upon knowing a secret of hers from one of her friends who've witnessed it, and Lilly blushed brightly under her white fur upon being guilty as charged. _

"_Alright, alright. But I helped him in howling with his heart, so that should lessen the punishment." She giggled, and Kate rolled her eyes. "Anyways, what was the last thing he said to you before you two leaped out of the train?" _

"_He tried to tell me something, but he was very nervous about it and had some trouble in spitting the words out, and I don't know why." _

_Lilly hummed as she dived into her thoughts for a moment to understand the information gathered and tried to piece them together to give her a clue. Although it's only a little, but it was very important and valuable, and she came up with a prediction that'll surprise her sister in more ways than she could ever imagine. _

"_What if I say that he… likes you?" She questioned confidently and Kate looked at her wide-eyed. _

"_Then I'm… surprised." She answered, and strangely, a sudden feeling of comfort and happiness flowed in her heart and reduced her guilt greatly, which surprised her as she placed a paw on her chest with an involuntary smile, before looking back at her sister. "But, does he really like me?" _

"_I don't know, sis, but anything is possible." She smiled as her statement was actually a fact; if she and Garth could fall in love with each other, then why can't it be the same to her sister with Humphrey? "Anyways, your fur is fully groomed and I guess my job here is done. I'll be in the den resting if you need me." And she stood up and strolled towards the entrance of their den, leaving Kate to her own thoughts._

* * *

><p>He gave her a disappointed expression last night was because she never told him that she was going to marry Garth to unite the packs, and the way he behaved this morning when he informed her that he was leaving for good was because he felt heart-broken and thrown into depression due to her. He tried to express his love towards her by howling at the moon, and she did howled with him, but she didn't receive his message from it, which forced him to confess to her by words. He tried his best in spitting those words out as fast as he could and she knew that, but she was too distracted by the scene of her pack starting a war with their rival to be able to wait for him to finish. How can she be so blind? He must've felt backstabbed and painful the moment when he knew about this. All of this leads to one single point; he loves her. Just when she was about to question herself about her feelings towards him, the heavy guilt in her heart has suddenly changed into a sweet and joyous feeling, as if she had finally realized what her heart was trying to tell her, and it gave her an answer.<p>

_I… love him._ She thought in realization as she felt dumbfounded. _Humphrey… I'm so sorry. _

Tears seeped from the edge of her eyes and flowed down her cheeks without her noticing, and as she returned back to reality, she met Garth's watery eyes and found everyone continuously cheering for them, being completely clueless of the truth the newly-wed couple has hidden within their heart and assumed that their tears were full of happiness. As she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but sadness and pain, as if he was suffering from the same situation as hers, which left her in a curious state. Unexpectedly, another realization struck her like a truck as she remembered that the train will be arriving now and knew that she must set things right. Without hesitation, she immediately ran away from the scene and towards the train tracks at her maximum speed, while hearing a few cries from her parents.

"Kate! Where are you going!" Her mother shouted quizzically and in shock.

She didn't care about anything at that point. All she wanted to do was to be with the wolf that she loved dearly and can fully trust, and that wolf was Humphrey. She hated herself for not realizing this sooner, or she could've prevented him from leaving and confessed her feelings towards her and cleared all the misunderstandings in between them.

Unfortunately, as she arrived at her destination, she spotted the train to be already chugging a kilometer away from her position and realized that she was too late. Painful regrets and sadness overwhelmed her as she burst into tears and collapsed on the ground, feeling sorry for what she had done to her true love. They were meant to be together and Humphrey already knew that, but she chose responsibility instead and now she'll have to suffer the consequences.

Unexpectedly, she picked up two scents as she breathed in the air around her, one of it was Humphrey's and the other was from a wolf that was very familiar to her that caused her eyes to widen in horror.

_Oh on…_ She thought before getting onto her paws in a flash and ran past those who were chasing after her, ignoring their call for her to stop.

Her mind was racing due to the familiar scent that she has picked up, a scent from a wolf that she hoped it isn't. Upon arriving at her den, she looked into it to reveal the truth about her disbelief, and her horror came true; Lilly has left Jasper Park with Humphrey secretly without anyone knowing. She stood dumbfounded as she stared at where her sister lies before she left the den several minutes ago and couldn't understand why she did it. Numerous questions ran through her mind, and she couldn't answer any of them.

Winston, Eve, Garth and Jack arrived and stared at her while panting heavily due to their long run of chasing after her.

"What's wrong, Kate?" Garth asked after he recovered his breaths.

"Lilly… left, with Humphrey." She answered, and they stood in shock.

"What?!" Eve screamed and her voice was loud enough to echo in the air. "He kidnapped her, didn't he?!" She snapped in anger as she began to jump into random conclusions.

"No, he didn't." And they gave her a puzzled stare, except Jack who understands Humphrey far too well than anyone, including Winston.

"Why would you say that?" And Kate gave her mother a serious glance that surprised her mother, father, and Garth.

"It's because I know he won't."

* * *

><p><strong>A few minutes earlier <strong>

_Humphrey was walking towards the train tracks silently after giving her regards and goodbyes to his true love who had betrayed him terribly, and he was deep in his thoughts as he wondered if he had made the right choice. Leaving his warm and cozy home where he grew up into an adult wolf and met lots of friendly faces just for a she-wolf who has chosen responsibility over love doesn't seemed to benefit him in any way, but he knew only one advantage that'll satisfy his decision, and that was to not being able to see Kate living with Garth as it would hurt him deeply at the sight of it. This seemed like the only option he has to save him from suffering a long and emotional pain, and hoped that he would be able to forget her and move on in his life once he ventured to other places. _

_Upon arriving at his destination, he found no signs of the Canadian Express which indicates that he had arrived early, and so he sat down and waited patiently for the ride that would take him to different places that contains new sights and adventures. While waiting, he wondered what would happen if he left Jasper, and will his Omega brothers take this opportunity to slack off when he wasn't there to motivate them. He was considered to be the leader of the Omega wolves, and has been the wolf who halted every fight broke out in between the Alphas. But what will happen if he wasn't around? Will his Omega brothers be able to stop the fights without his guidance? That worried him deeply, but it doesn't matter now. He had made his decision and doesn't have any intention in changing it. _

_Unexpectedly, rustling of leaves pulled him out of his train of thoughts and he turned towards the brushes behind him, and focused on it with his heart pounding heavily as he hoped that it would be Kate who came to stop him and clarify the confusions in between them. Sadly-yet-surprisingly, out came a white she-wolf whose violet eyes were fastened on him and wore a depressed expression. _

"_Lilly?" He said in shock before turning away as he assumed her intentions towards him. "If you're here to convince me to stay here and watch your sister live with some hot-shot named Garth, then you can start returning back to where you came from." _

_Silence descended upon them as he waited for a reply from her, and a few seconds later, she gave an answer that surprised him. _

"_No." And he glanced at her quizzically. "I'm here for a different reason." He watched as she walked over by his side and sat down and their eyes met. "You like my sister, don't you?" _

_His eyes widened upon hearing her prediction before lowering his head as he knew he couldn't hide the truth from her. Plus, she stated that she was here for a different reason, so it didn't matter if she knows it. _

"…_Yes" He answered after a short pause. _

"_You felt betrayed by her… don't you?" She questioned, and he was surprised that she knew how he was currently feeling before replying. _

"…_Yes." _

"_Do you think she likes you…?" And Humphrey thought for a moment before meeting her eyes. _

"_I don't know… does she?"_

"_Yes. She does." She replied confidently and his eyes widened once again as he wasn't expecting her to know Kate's affection towards him. _

"_How… did you know that?" He enquired, feeling intrigued to know how she knew it. _

"_She asked me about an uncomfortable guilt in her heart, and told me that it felt like as if she had betrayed someone close to her. Apart from family, the only closest person to her… was you, Humphrey. I gathered details from her about the times you spent with her when you two were on your way back to Jasper, and it gave me a clue which formed into a prediction that you like her, and I was right." She explained, but this didn't surprise him, as he knew that Lilly was a wise and observant Omega. _

"_I see." _

"_But you're not the only one who've been betrayed by her." And he gave her a puzzled look before noticing a few tears seeping from her eyes and flowing down her cheeks which surprised him. "She… betrayed me by marrying Garth, the wolf who I loved, along with my Mom, Dad, and… my true love…" She sobbed before bursting into tears. _

_He stared at her dumbfounded as he never knew she suffered the same pain as his, and betrayed by her close ones who she loved dearly. As he looked at her, he felt like as if he was staring at his own reflection. It was heart-breaking to see her in that state, and so he knew what he had to do. _

_He wrapped his forelegs around her and pulled her in for a hug, and she gave him a tight squeeze as she cried heavily, with him patting her back gently. _

"_It's alright. Cry it all out. You'll feel better later. Don't worry, now we know that we're on the same boat." He soothed and she broke apart, and he met her watery eyes. _

"_T-thank y-you, Humphrey." She sobbed and he gave her a heart-warming smile, although he was suffering an emotional pain in his heart himself. _

"_No problem. Are you okay now?" He asked in a gentle tone as he wiped off her tears with his soft paws and she gave him a beautiful smile. _

"_Yeah. But… can I make a request?" _

"_Anything." _

"_Could you… take me with you? I don't want to stay in this disappointing place any more, just like you." _

"_I don't know…" He answered unconfidently before hearing the chugs of an incoming train and he looked towards the source of the sound to find the metal smoke-blowing vehicle moving towards them. The time for him to decide was running out. _

"_Please, Humphrey." She pleaded as she gripped his paws and gave them a tight squeeze to show her eagerness to leave. _

"…_Alright." He answered after a short pause and she smiled happily before giving him a peck on the cheek. _

_They waited as the train was getting closer to them, and during the moment when it ran past them, they chased after it and scanned for any open carriage, and found one which was wide open and empty before leaping into it._

* * *

><p>The sun performed its duty of the day faster than expected and sets with its dying light glaring across the blue sky and green land before allowing the silver full moon to take over and shrouded the land with darkness. Every wolves has returned to their den to rest for the night after an exhausting day, except the leader of the Western pack who was restless upon knowing the unexpected leave of his daughter, so as Eve, Garth and Kate. Winston didn't send any of his Alphas to search for them as he knew that it was pointless to do so; that train would be more than fifty kilometers away from them now. Kate's actions did raised their suspicion as it just came out of the blue, and she answered that she 'had the sense that something bad was gonna happen', which was the only way to hide the truth from them. However, it's time that she knows the truth about her sister's leave, and Garth will be her only and biggest suspect due to everything that she had seen in his eyes during the wedding.<p>

Winston and Eve moved to another den, which was a few meters away from the den grounds, to let Garth and Kate reside in their old den as their wedding gift. Winston told them that he'll try to come up with something the next day as he was too tired to think of anything, but Kate was completely sure that he knows there's nothing they can do to bring her back; it was just to soothe her and those who were worried about this problem.

Kate sat on her four legs at one side of the den and watched as Garth walked back and forth at the center of the den, wearing an expression that seemed like something was bothering him greatly. This was something she has never seen before from him, maybe it was the time gap of her trying to get back to Jasper caused her to come to this statement. But she didn't care; all she cared about now was the truth. Finally, he stopped his actions and sat on the ground with his head lowered, his face now showing signs of guilt. This was the perfect moment for her to begin her interrogation.

"Garth, I need you to ask you something, and you must answer it honestly." She stated, and he turned towards her as he knew she has something serious in mind due to what she had said.

"Go on." He said with complete guilt and sadness in his voice.

"You like my sister, don't you?" She questioned, and he showed no reactions but sadness and depression.

"Yes, and now I regret of not confessing my love towards her before she left." He replied coldly as he faced away for a moment to hold back his tears. "She left… because of me. I chose responsibility over her. I'm such a fool."

"I did the same as you." And he glanced back at her in surprise. "I chose responsibility over Humphrey, the wolf who I really loved. He tried many ways to express his affection towards me, and yet I remained blind to not see it. I'm more of a fool than you." A tear seeped out from her eyes and dripped on her paw from her cheeks as she rested her head on it.

Garth never wanted his marriage to be with Kate, and wanted it to be with Lilly instead. She was the most beautiful, kind, and funny wolf he has ever seen in his entire life, and their howl at the moon unites perfectly. She was a wolf who was full of surprises and amazing talents, and accepts who he truly is, which no she-wolves could do. He fell in love with her at first sight and felt lucky that he was able to spend some time with her during Kate's disappearance. Sadly, she's forever gone now, and he couldn't do anything about it. The regret of not showing his affection towards her haunts him deeply and his actions was unacceptable to her, and he hated himself for that.

"I... I'm going to sleep." He sobbed as he walked over to the other side of the den and sprawled on the solid ground. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Kate replied before curling into a fluffy ball, like her sister, and closed her eyes. But both of them knew very well that they won't be able to sleep well tonight, for the emotional pain they're suffering was far too great for them to ignore it.

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><p>Meanwhile, in one of the containers of the Canadian Express that was chugging across a large and beautiful lake that glittered upon reflecting the pure silver moonlight, Lilly and Humphrey huddled close to each other due to the cold air around them and ignored the shyness within them for their action. Two Omegas who left their once-called home and headed towards a world full of danger, risks, and death was insane, and yet it didn't stop them. It was dangerous for them to live alone as lone wolves without experiences nor proper training, and most wolves would say that they won't be able to survive on their own under those circumstances, but they're confident that they'll be able to prove those who judged them wrong.<p>

Both of them were resting from the exhausting day, with Humphrey's head rested on her back and hers cuddled into his chest, until she opened her eyes as a question arose in her mind.

"Humphrey." She said, and it caught his attention as he opened his eyes. "You're not asleep, isn't it?"

"Yeah. What about you?" He questioned and he felt a slight nod of her head brushing against his chest.

"Where will we go?" She asked with a voice full of curiosity.

"Anywhere but back there." He replied in confirmation.

"But… we're not experienced in living on our own."

"Then I guess this is the perfect opportunity for us to have that." He smiled, and she did the same before a gust of wind blew into the container, causing them to huddle closer to share warmth.

"Let's try to rest for now. Goodnight, Lilly."

"Goodnight, Humphrey." And both of them closed their eyes before losing consciousness.

These four wolves were the victims of the pack law that prevented them from howling together and become mates for their entire lives. Sacrificing their love for the safety and happiness of both packs was unfair and injustice, but sadly, they couldn't do about it due to the lack of courage in their heart. However, the pain that they suffered somehow bonded them together, but they could only see each other nothing more than just friends. In the end, they could do nothing but hope for a miracle to happen, and their wish was granted sooner than they think that'll correct their mistakes and fulfill their destiny.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think about this chapter? Lilly has unexpectedly left Jasper Park and followed Humphrey to anywhere he goes, but what will happen in the future? Stay tuned for the next chapter. As usual, leave a reviewfollow/favorite. It helps me out a lot and I'll see you in the next. Peace out. -LoverWolfs1121**


	3. Chapter 1: Aftermath

**Ta-da! I am back! It took some time to remember the plot of this story, but I got it... I think. The story so far will be staring at Humphrey, Lilly, and my OCs only, and the part about Kate and Garth will appear when we went deeper into the story. Now, let me clarify this: I have no intention of making Humphrey and Lilly falling in love with each other, so don't assume that this story'll be a HumphreyXLilly and GarthXKate story. Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Aftermath**

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><p>Time passed smoothly without anyone's attention and expectation like the moving air as it ran past silently; seconds turns into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, and days into months. It's been six months since Humphrey and Lilly left Jasper Park, their once-called home due to their heart-broken feelings caused by their true love who've betrayed them terribly, and they've been travelling ever since then with no destination whatsoever. They've never been able to forget their destined lover as the images of them were planted in their heart and grown into an unerasable memory, and it caused them to be buried in a state of depression for long periods of time that were unknown to them. They haven't seen any wolves from the Western pack, or now known as United pack, in their adventure as they assumed that they left their pack border in search for them, or for Lilly only as she was the one of the daughters of the leader of the Western pack. Humphrey doesn't expect the Western wolves to look for him as they might think that he made an attempt in kidnapping Lilly and force her to be his mate, which sounded insane and impossible to him. However, both Humphrey and Lilly sincerely hoped that they won't have the idea of searching for them as it would be unthinkable and a waste of time; the world is a giant round globe covered with dark blue oceans and green continents, and they could be anywhere, either alive or dead.<p>

However, they discovered and learned a lot in their expedition to new lands and places filled with beautiful natures and scenery, and it enlightened their mood unexpectedly. They began to love the nature and adore the surprising results that it gave them, and it drove them to continue their adventure for more like a drug. During their journey, they learned that the world they lived in contains more horror than they knew and felt back at Jasper Park as they came across places resided by humans, polluted and abandoned lands, witnessing innocent green trees being chopped by humans using shiny blades, and many more. This caused them to change their good perspective about the world and at the same time, granting them large amount of experiences and understanding the world problems, although they haven't come across human's politics. Additionally, they felt their emotional pain slightly reduced as they understood that the world was suffering along with them; betrayed by humans who've been removing its granted resources and giving nothing in return, and this somehow bonded Humphrey and Lilly's love to the Earth. Fortunately, they do know that there _are_ good humans who're planting seeds or young plants to re-lighten the world, and they hope that there'll be someone who'll be able to aid them in their problems too and free them from their cage of depression.

They're doing very well in surviving on their own so far, inventing and learning how to hunt, ambush preys, and escape from predators, and many other survival skills by themselves, but sadly, it was under a snail's pace. They didn't need to worry about the medicines required in case they got injured or sick as Lilly completed her medical training under her mother's teachings, and harvested some herbs if they came across any to be brought along with them for safety precautions, but she continued to study wider varieties of plants that were new to her and not grown or seen in Jasper; she would normally pick a few of an unknown plant that she wanted to study on, and tested it using the techniques her mother had taught her with precaution as the effects of the plant were unknown to her.

They usually reside in a place temporarily for a few days to gather some supplies around their new den before venturing on in the next morning, and would leave immediately after staying for a night if there weren't any. Humphrey's hunting skills was in an average level but was still a long way from reaching the level of an Alpha's. His first successful hunt was on a rabbit as he chased it around the woods wildly and took it as a game that he played before, but in a serious way. He once made an attempt to hunt a Caribou before as he wanted to enjoy a tasty meal after not having it for months ever since he left Jasper, and had been eating rabbits, squirrels, and berries for long periods of time, and sadly, he failed. Fortunately, he only received a few bruises and minor injuries from the strong antlers of the defensive Caribou as he was very cautious and well-prepared for the expected results, which relieved Lilly greatly as it weren't severe. However, she was still shocked about his crazy attempt the moment when he told her about it and worried about his safety after witnessing him returning to their den in exhaustion and covered in injuries, and feared that it might happen again. Fortunately, he had no intentions of doing it again as he knew the results could be worse if he did, and would worry Lilly to death. He doesn't want to die just yet; he still has a long way to go in his life, and needs to shield her from dangers lurking around corners and in the shadows, no matter how unskilled and untrained he was.

They do come across other lone wolves sometimes, usually one or two, and most of them were males, which led them to an assumption that males would create more problems than females, but they may be wrong. They tend to ignore them as the fear of the gruesome personalities that these unknown wolves may have frightened them greatly; there are chances that they could be rapists, murderers, exiled from their pack for unforgivable actions, and many more. However, they could be innocent and friendly wolves who wanted to enjoy their lives alone, but they couldn't take that risk as it was too large and dangerous for these two weak Omegas to handle. They would always stop a kilometer away from the den of the encountered lone wolf- or wolves- to ensure that they weren't being tailed before pressing on. Fortunately, they haven't being attacked by any of them for the whole six months, and hoped that it would stay that way along with their luck.

The sun was moving towards the center of the clear blue sky in a snail's pace, bathing the green land in its luminous light and perishing the cold of the breeze blown from last night that filled the air with its warm heat. The weather's been calm and peaceful for the past few days, forming rainbows after a short rain and fluffy clouds floating in the sky with the sun radiating under an average bearable temperature, and it enabled every wild creatures to carry out their daily plan with ease. Two lone wolves, one was a handsome grey male while the other was a beautiful white female, were walking on the soft grass under the sun's glorious rays after having an enjoyable meal on two juicy rabbits and was heading towards a waterfall formed on a cliff that was visible back when they were a few kilometers away from it and decided to have a complete portrait of its beauty.

Birds on the trees filled the air with its sweet and beautiful melody as they walked side-by-side, enjoying the peaceful aura around them and breathing in the refreshing air of nature as it soothed their minds from remembering the painful past continuously, but sadly, it wasn't able to erase the visible scars of sadness on their hearts.

"This feels amazing." Lilly commented as she took a deep breath in, starting the conversation in-between them. Normally they wouldn't talk to each other as they couldn't think of any topic, unless they already have some set in mind.

"That's funny for you to say, after all the places we've been through." Humphrey answered and chuckled as their eyes met.

"Well, this time it felt different from the rest, don't you think?" She argued and he took a look glance around his surroundings before looking back at her.

"It felt… great." He smiled and laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Anyways, if you're feeling tired from carrying that paw-made bag of yours, you can let me handle it if you want." He looked over her back and at several small and two large bags made of leaves and wooden splints tied together by strong vines; it was like a horse saddle.

"Thanks, but it's currently light, so don't worry. I will let you know when it's too heavy for me to handle." She replied politely at his friendly offer.

"Alright." He gave her a warm smile which she reciprocated instantly. "Well it is handy so far. I believe your mom taught you how to make that?"

"Yeah. I still remembered once when I tried to tie the vines to the bags, and tied my forelegs instead and left my mom laughing for the past few minutes as she unties me." She sighed at her embarrassment and Humphrey couldn't hold back a giggle.

"Nah, it's fine. It's your first time, so there's an excuse." He reasoned and it gave her a sense of relief at her humiliation upon herself.

"Thanks."

"No problem." A sudden topic then arose in his mind that was saddening for both of them to talk about, but it should be more comfortable now now that they were free from command and able to roam, despite still being under depression. "So… how are you coping up with this whole ordeal after leaving… you know…"

Seeming to understand his hint, she let out a deep sigh in sadness before turning back towards him.

"Well, I'm feeling pretty good so far, but the pain still resides in here…" She looked down as she placed a paw on her chest before looking back at him. "However, the beauty of nature helped me out a lot in not thinking about those memories. What about you?"

"I felt the same as you, and nature indeed helped us out a lot in reducing it, but the pain still resides. Sadly, we couldn't do anything about it." He said and she nodded in agreement, and unexpectedly, a curiosity slipped through her mouth by accident and it made their mood dropped upon hearing it.

"I wonder how Garth's doing, so as my sister…" She trailed off as she began to paint a picture of the current life her true love and her sister was having, which hurt her emotions greatly at the thought of it, and her words has brought up a sad moment to them as the feeling of betrayal and heart-broken returned to their mind. Lilly looked back at him with a frown upon realizing her mistake. "I'm so sorry for bringing this up. I know I shouldn't."

"It's okay. I'm not blaming you because I'm guilty as charged too." He stated as he faced towards the sky and Lilly stared at him quizzically. "I've been thinking about Kate constantly every day, and I know you did the same towards Garth."

She looked away and lowered her head in sadness as he was right; she did thought about Garth every day, and couldn't forget his charming smile as it was somehow imprinted in her mind without her consent, so was the memories of their time together.

"Yeah…" She answered in a soft tone and felt a few tears swelling in her eyes as the emotional pain was unbearable. Humphrey noticed this, and they stopped for him to give her a warm hug to comfort her sad emotions.

"It's okay, Lilly. I'm with you, and you must stay as strong as I am. I know we'll make it through this and I'm sure there's a way to escape from this depression." He soothed with a heart-warming smile, but his high-spirited words were faked as he wasn't as strong as he said he was; he may seem strong on the outside, but his inner self was just as weak as her. His heart and emotions was as thin as paper, easily penetrable and he has no clue or idea that will aid him in climbing out of depression. Lilly could sense a lie in his voice, but decided not to unravel it as she doesn't want to upset both of them any further.

Both of them slowly broke apart with her puffed and redden eyes fastened on his calm and peaceful eyes, and he tried his best to hold back his tears as her watery eyes urges him to cry.

"Thank you, Humphrey, for motivating me to go on. I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled and he reciprocated it as he wiped off the tears on her cheeks gently with his paws.

"No problem. We must look after each other now now that there are not much people to trust in this world." He answered as he brushed back her forelock and revealing her beautiful violet eyes. "Come on. I think we're close to the waterfall." And she gave a nod before they proceeded to walk.

After a few minutes of silent walk, the sound of pouring water could be heard in a distance and they picked up their pace as they knew they were getting closer to their marked destination, and finally they arrived infront of the gorgeous waterfall that poured pure and clean water from the top of the high cliff. They stared in awe as their body involuntarily walked towards it and gazed upon its beauty. Flowers of different varieties in colours populated around them and most of them were recognized as useful medical plants. This seemed like an area of paradise to them, and they felt relieved to come across here.

"Wow…" Lilly trailed off as she gazed upon her reflection on the clean water in a large pool that lay still infront of her. "This is… beautiful."

"Yeah." Humphrey said as he examined his surroundings. "I'm glad we caught sight of this waterfall. We wouldn't want this stunning sight to go to waste." He walked over to her side and they exchanged smiles with each other.

"Why don't we stay here for today? You wouldn't want to waste these resources too, and I'm sure there are a few rabbits around here as I caught sight some of its dug holes close by." She suggested and Humphrey sat down for a moment to go through his decision wisely as they have to be in constant motion; there may be lone wolf- or wolves- wolves who they've encountered following them secretly for their gruesome intentions on them.

"Alright. This place seems peaceful and hidden anyway. Plus, the woodland's pretty thick, so we're pretty safe here." He nodded as he faced towards Lilly who gave a gleeful smile at his conclusion. "But first, we need to look for a den, and it's best that it's not visible from the open."

They began to wander around in search for a den that fulfills their requirement, and a few minutes passed until Lilly caught sight of something that made her face lit up.

"Humphrey!" She called aloud, and he immediately ran towards her.

"What is it?" He questioned, and stared quizzically as her eyes were fixed on the waterfall until he noticed it himself; there was a large black shadow behind the falling water, indicating that it may be a cave.

"Stay here. I don't want to put both of us at risk if something has already resided in there." He commanded, and she nodded in agreement and watched as he courageously dived into the pool and swam towards the flat rock.

She has never seen him this brave and courageous before back when they resided in Jasper Park, despite being an Omega. Maybe his will for their survival in the open world, loss of his nature, and his painful past has changed him into a completely different wolf; he was now an independent and fearless lone wolf who would do anything to protect his loved one, and he was now her guardian angel. Armed with his knowledge, he made careful decisions and took cautious steps in their expedition to avoid terrible situations and incidents, and he has done very well so far. She wished she could be the same as him, but despite being the lone wolf who also lost her nature, she was still dependent and weak as usual due to reasons that were unknown to her. However, it doesn't mean that she won't use her knowledge and quick-thinking skills to her advantage.

She proceeded to watch as he reached the bank of the other side of the pool and climbed onto the side of the large black shadow before walking towards it cautiously, and her image of him fogged up due to the wall of flowing water formed infront of her. However, she could still have a clear vision of him and watched as he peeked into the black shadow before disappearing into it. She sat and waited for his return while being aware of any movement in her surroundings, being prepared of running towards where Humphrey was in case any large creatures would take this opportunity to take advantage of her. Minutes have passed with the loud sound of falling water filling the air around her, and she began to grow worried of him as she feared that he may be in trouble. Fortunately, just when she was about to stood up and inspect on the black shadow which was assumed to be a cave herself, a grey figure appeared from it and walked towards an area where the wall of water wasn't concealing and motioned for her to come. Without hesitation, she immediately pounced into the cool water, soaking her entire pelt and she enjoyed the feeling of relaxation due to it.

_Damn. I'm definitely gonna go for a swim after this._ She thought gleefully as she swallowed some of the refreshing water, feeling it running down her parched throat as she pedaled her legs.

Upon arriving at the bank, she shook herself dry and causing droplets of excess water in her pelt to flying like bullets into the air, and most of it landed on Humphrey's face and pelt. She stared at him in embarrassment as she realized what she had done when she finished.

"Oh my… Sorry." She said with a frown as he wiped off the new droplets of water that clung onto his face with his paw.

"Nah, it's fine. It won't hurt me anyway. Besides, I'm already wet, so it doesn't matter." He smiled heart-warmingly, which she reciprocated with relief, before escorting her into their new den.

Their prediction was correct in the end; it was a large cave of long width and high flat ceilings. Mosses and ferns were grown on the sides of the entrance and deep within the dark cave was a pond of clean water. This place was perfect to hide from predators or foes, and they felt lucky to be able to found this sanctuary.

"There's nothing living in here, and probably not even one before, judging by the cleanliness of this cave and the tracks left here." Humphrey stated as he strolled around their new den.

"This place is perfect." Lilly commented in awe as she examined the whole interior of the cave.

"The depth of the cave isn't really too far in. It only ran for a few meters after the pond before reaching a dead end." He said and walked over to her side as she sat her bags of medicines on the cold floor. "So, I guess we'll settle here for a few days."

"Awesome! Thank you, Humphrey!" She hugged him tightly and it caught him off-guard before he reciprocated it.

She pulled away after a few seconds before pouncing out of the entrance and into the large pool with him watching and chuckling at her joy and excitement as he understood the cause of her behavior; among all the places that they had settled in before, this was the most relaxing and comfortable den. He decided to hunt a few rabbits for their lunch and dinner instead of watching her swimming in the refreshing water for the whole afternoon, and so he set his plan into action as he tackled the water. He swam towards the side of the bank where the homes of his prey were and shook his fur dry upon walking ashore before entering the woods. He walked silently with his eyes scanning the area for any dug holes, hoping that he will be able to hunt some on time before his belly began to growl, which will cause a huge inconvenience as it will drive his prey away.

_It should be around here somewhere. I think I did caught sight of some too along the way before. _He thought and coincidentally, he saw several dug holes a meter away from his position. _Bingo. _

He approached towards it cautiously with his eyes fastened on one of the holes and smelled the air for the scent of the rabbits, and his face lit up as he did.

_There is definitely some of it in these holes._ He thought cheerfully as his hunt was gonna be as simple as catching a fly.

He stopped infront of the targeted hole and poked his head into it, and found three rabbits sleeping peacefully. He felt pity that he has to murder these innocent furry animals cold-hearted, as if he was an evil wolf when he isn't, but nature has taken its toll in this world, and was larger than anything in the wild; it was either kill or be killed for survival.

_Well, at least you won't feel the pain in your sleep._ He thought sadly as he slowly poked one of his forelegs into the hole with his claw unsheathed. _I'm sorry._

With a swift strike, he ended their lives without alerting them and dragged them out of the hole one by one before moving on to the other holes. His hunt lasted for merely minutes as the other rabbits were also asleep, and he has already collected ten of its dead brothers and sisters. Finally, he poked his head into the last hole and his eyes widened when he caught sight of two baby rabbits lying close to their parents, sharing each other's warmth as they sailed through their dreams. This beautiful sight was heart-warming to him, and has instantly erased his attempt in murdering them. Although he was a wolf whose purpose was to hunt his prey, he still has his morals, and killing a family was definitely wrong. Their death isn't even necessary due to the amount of food that he had already gathered.

_You guys are lucky that I'm a kind wolf, or you would be dead by now, but I'm sorry about your siblings though. _He thought as he frowned upon his actions. _But I don't have a choice, except for you guys. Anyways, have a good rest._ He smiled before pulling his head out of the soil cautiously to avoid letting little crumbs of dirt falling onto them, and picked up his prizes beside him by the ears and walked back to his den.

As he arrived, he found Lilly sitting on four legs as she examined a plant next to her until his footsteps caught her attention, and her eyes slightly widened in surprise as she caught sight of his muscular shape hidden beneath his fur as it tensed upon carrying the heavy load.

"Wow…" She trailed off in awe as he walked over to her and he gave her a puzzled look. "I never knew you're that muscular."

He chuckled as he placed their meal on the ground. "Yeah. I'm pretty surprised myself when I discovered it a few days ago. I guess the long duration of practice and training really paid off." He smiled as he flexed his left foreleg and they stared at his large bulging biceps.

A smile slowly crept on her face as her eyes fastened on it, but she wasn't admiring his new body shape, for it triggered her to remember Garth's muscular body and handsome looks. Garth has perfectly built muscles than him due to his regular duties of hunting for the pack, teaching young pups in Alpha School, etc.. Strangely, there was no sense of emotional pain in her heart upon recalling Garth's face, as if she _wanted_ to remember it herself.

"I thought you would still be in the pool swimming a few more rounds when I came back." He said as he stopped his actions, and it pulled her back to reality from her train of thoughts as she faced towards him.

"My legs got tired from the long walk that we've made this morning, so I had to take a break. But I'll continue on eventually." She replied gleefully.

"Well, shall we have lunch?" He asked as he looked up towards the clear blue sky and noticed that the sun has already moved past its center. "But let's not eat in plain sight."

"Agreed." She answered as she looked around their surroundings before assisting him in carrying some of their meals back to their den.

The day ended faster than expected as the sun crept towards the west in a quicker pace, and descended behind the snow-topped mountains with its dying orange light glaring at the green land one last time before allowing darkness to conquer the land. The silver moon then arose to take over its duty of the night and bathed the shadowy land with its beautiful moonlight. Humphrey and Lilly had taken their lunch and dinner, leaving and saving the remaining six rabbits for the next day. They sat close by the den entrance and admired the beauty of the blurred moon along with the wall of flowing water as it glittered like tiny crystals upon being glared by the moonlight. They couldn't take the risk of sitting outside their den as nocturnal creatures may attack them stealthily.

A sudden breeze blew into the cave and caused the two wolves to huddle closer to each other, and they weren't embarrassed of their actions as they knew it was necessary to keep their body warm, and continued their admiration on the view infront of them.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, despite how blurry it is viewing from behind this wall of water." Lilly commented with her eyes fixed on the silver moon.

"Yeah." Humphrey replied with his eyes also fastened on the glowing white globe.

"Humphrey." She called as she turned towards him, and their eyes met. "Could you do me a favor?"

He gave her a curious expression as he replied. "Sure. What is it?"

"Well… I was wondering if we could… try again." She said and he tilted his head towards one side in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He questioned quizzically.

"I mean, us… trying to... forget our true love by…" She turned away and looked down at her paws as she shuffled them nervously, and his eyes widened as he realized her idea.

"You mean…" His mouth was wide open as he confirmed his prediction and she nodded in agreement before watching him lowering his head. "I don't know if we should. You know it doesn't work, right?"

"I do, but please, Humphrey. Just one last try and it'll never happen again." She pleaded as she placed a paw on his and their eyes met once again.

His mind was racing as he wondered if he should do the action that she requested, even though he knew the results would be poor. This action may satisfy her plead, but he clearly knew that it would hurt his true love, Kate, along with hers, Garth, if they're informed about this and she must've thought the same as him. However, she seemed to still have high hopes for both of them to move on from their past and live happily in the present, so they could welcome their new future, and he decided to give it one last shot before giving it up once and for all.

"Alright." He answered after a short pause and a weak smile spread across her lips.

"Thank you." She said and both of them let out a deep breath to relieve some tension and nervousness in their body. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." He replied, and they began to edge their muzzle towards each other, and their lips connected.

Both of them kissed with complete passion, with their tongues wrestling each other and enjoyed the moment of romance they were having. Unfortunately, Humphrey felt a feeling of discomfort befall upon his shoulders after more than ten seconds in their kiss as guilt pierced through his heart like a spear. Surprisingly, Lilly continued her actions smoothly and romantically, as if she had completely forgotten all the heartbreak and sadness that she had suffered for the whole six months, and it definitely raises his suspicion; they had tried this since the day they left Jasper, and the results were only them pulling away from each other after lasting ten seconds in their kisses. They wouldn't mate, of course, as it would be an insane and impossible idea for them and deepens their guilt of betraying their true love even further, despite them doing it first towards them.

It was fortunate for them that mating season hasn't arrived, and there were few more months before it began its effect on the females' heat-cycle, causing them to release a charming scent into the air that will drove any male wolves into a lust overdrive, and they themselves will also feel and have lustful thoughts under its effect upon getting around males. Sadly, if they weren't able to search for a way to create a love bond in between them till that day, they'll have to suffer the consequences themselves and be in another difficult situation. Unfortunately, they have no idea how to reduce its scent and they weren't experienced as it will be their first time encountering the heat-cycle, and they could tell that their lives will be going downhill when that day arrives.

Being unable to bear the rising guilt that created a heavy sensation in his heart, he pulled away and panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath from the kiss, and she looked away in sadness as she knew the true cause of her being able to last longer in their kiss, which Humphrey could already predict it with ease.

"… You imagined me as Garth, didn't you…?" He questioned as he glanced at her, and a tear seeped out of her eyes was all he needed to prove that his assumption was correct. "We're lucky that I didn't imagine you as Kate, or we would've gone on to an extent that we would do something worse…" He stated, and she turned towards him with watery eyes.

"I-I just couldn't forget him, Humph, until a stage where I… I need to feel him physically." She sobbed, and her cries grew as she continued. "I-I know it's impossible to meet him now immediately, and s-so the only way was to i-imagine you as him."

Humphrey's head lowered and faced towards the ground, leaving them in silence with her sobs echoing in the cave and the sound of the endless waterfall. She began to fear that she had hurt his emotions by her disappointing act, judging by the duration of his silent behavior, and was pretty sure that he was mad at her. Negative thought began to arise in her mind, with questions circling around her. _Will he hate me forever? Will he leave me here and let me survive on my own? How am I going to live with an additional guilt in my heart?_

"I-I'm sorry, Humph. I know I shouldn't do that. Pl-please forgive-" Her sentence came to a halt when he gave her a hug by surprise and her eyes widened upon his unexpected action.

"It's alright. I forgive you, and I understand." He whispered into her ears and her eyes widened once again as the result weren't what she expected before closing her eyes and crying softly on his shoulders and tightened her grip on his pelt.

"Th-thank you, Humphrey." She sobbed as she continued to let tears flow out of her eyes freely and drip on his pelt, and he patted her back gently.

"No problem. Just relax and try to stop crying. You wouldn't want to give away our position to any nocturnal creatures outside our den, if there's any. However, I don't think they will even bother coming in here. They might've thought that this place's haunted due to your cry." He joked, and it earned a chuckle from her, a reaction that he wanted to see, and they broke apart with their eyes fastened on each other. "Just remember that I will keep you safe no matter what happens, and I won't leave you astray in this world. I meant my word and my actions." And a smile slowly formed on her lips.

"Thank you." She answered as she wiped off her tears.

"Come on. It's time for bed." He said, and she nodded in agreement before walking towards the end of the cave as the sound of the waterfall would be weaker and less irritating for them to have a good night rest.

Lilly lied on the cold floor and curled into a fluffy ball, and Humphrey curled himself around her to provide warmth and protect her from the cold breeze that was blowing into the cave.

"Goodnight, Humphrey." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Lilly." He answered as he did the same, and both of them slowly drifted to sleep.

Their wonderful day then ended in peace with them being able to found a sanctuary of beauty and filled with nature. Their plan for their shelter was going smoothly as it seems, but what they didn't know was the uprising trouble that they will be facing in the next day…

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><p><strong>So, what is this 'uprising trouble'? I guess you'll have to read the next chapter to find out. The next chapter might take some time for me to write it out, so please be patient and I appreciate your patience for this chapter. Anyways, as usual, leave a reviewfollow/favorite. It helps me out a lot and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace out. -LoverWolfs1121**


	4. Chapter 2: Abused(1)

**I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, and hope that this chapter'll be worth it. I've decided to half this chapter as it was too long, and please help me get this story out of HIATUS. Anyways, I'll see you at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!**

**EDIT: You'll know in the A/N at the end of this chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Abused**

**(1)**

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><p>The silver moon began to descend from the night sky as it was done with its duty of the night, and a faint glow of orange light began to enlighten the dark sky after it completely sets. Slowly, the bright and blinding sun emerged from behind the snow-capped mountains and poured its rays upon the green land, perishing the darkness and the cold that haunted the sleeping creatures as they sailed through their dreams. Another beautiful day has begun, and furry animals awoke from their sleep due to the sun's soothing warmth and powerful light rays and prepared themselves to tackle the day.<p>

Two lone wolves were sleeping soundly as they lied close to each other to share and conserve warmth from the cold air around them, until the beautiful melodies of the birds echoed in the cave and awoke the grey male wolf. He slowly slid up his eyelids and found himself still in the same position as last night and staring at the she-wolf's beautiful white pelt. The memory of the activity they had last night still remained in his mind, which deeply saddened him as she meddled with their hopes of creating a spark in between them from the whole ordeal that they've been suffering till now, but he understood her reason very well and forgave her; she wasn't able to hold back her needs for Garth's presence and comfort, which led her to perform such act in order for the pleads of her inner self to come to a halt. Fortunately for him, he was doing pretty well in maintaining his requirement for Kate's presence, but he doubted that he would be able to keep that sensation balanced forever as the urge of confessing his love towards her grew every day by the thought of it, despite the existence of the pack law. However, he felt sympathy for her as she needed her true love's presence and affection in an instant, and decided to aid her by letting her perform the same action as last night towards him again, but only if it was strongly requested. He was willing to carry more guilt for the exchange of her relief and happiness, and there wasn't any reason for his action; it's just written in his blood. Nothing more.

He slowly rolled away from the sleeping beauty as to not awake her and got onto his four paws to stretch his aching muscles, and let out a yawn to rebalance the amount of oxygen in his lungs which made him more awake, and walked towards the pond to wash his face. He gently poked his head into the cool water after taking a deep breath in and held his action for a few seconds before pulling out, letting the excess water in his fur fly into the air in the form of droplets, and flew around the cave like bullets. He took a few laps from the crystal clear pond before walking over to his stored rations, and picked up one of it by the ear and walked towards the entrance of the den. He sat down on four legs and began to feast on his meal silently and peacefully while enjoying the blurry scenery infront of him. The Sun's powerful ray was glaring into the cave, but luckily, the wall of flowing water reduced its intensity and brightness as it passed through it, and it didn't reached into the end of the cave which enabled Lilly to continue her sailing in her dreams peacefully.

There wasn't much idea that came to him as he tried to plan his activities for today, other than hunting for their daily needs, taking a pleasant swim in the refreshing pool, and sleeping through the whole day. He munched down onto the rabbit's juicy and muscular leg as he scavenged his mind for any great ideas that should be taken into action for this lovely day, and sadly, no results were found. He would be excited to play several games with Lilly if she agreed to it, but most of them were too risky to be done; lone wolves or any large predators may take the opportunity to attack them if they play 'Hide-and-Seek', they would be too focused into the game 'Chase The Rabbit' that they may be led away from their current den and bump into any dangerous creatures, including lone wolves, there wasn't any hills nearby for them to play 'Log-Sledding', and the area in their den was too restricted for them to play 'Tag'. Upon stating all the risk and problems in his mind, he noticed that all games that required to be in the outdoors were dangerous, and the best way to avoid all these complications was to come up with a new game that can be played both outdoors and _indoors_.

Coincidentally, as he began to brainstorm for the discovery that he had made, echoing sound of groans arose from behind him and he turned around to find Lilly slowly getting onto her paws and stretching her muscles while letting out a long yawn before walking over to the pond.

"Good morning." He greeted as he chewed the tender flesh that he tore from his meal, and watched her lapping up some refreshing water.

"Good morning, Humphrey." She replied as she poked her muzzle into the surface of the water, sending calm waves around it.

"I hope I didn't wake you by my feast." He said after swallowing the minced meat in his mouth and formed a frown on his lips, and she pulled her mouth out of the pure water and let out a breath of satisfaction.

"No, you didn't. I woke up automatically after feeling well-rested." She smiled as she turned towards him. "How was your sleep?"

"It's fine, thanks for asking. What about you?"

"Likewise. The swim that I had yesterday made my body felt better than usual. I guess I'll be going for it again later." She chuckled as she walked towards their storage of rations, and grabbed one by its ear before walking over to his side.

"Well, do you have any plans after that?" He asked as she sat down on four legs, and she shook her head in disappointment.

"No, but maybe I'll continue studying on the medical plants here." She answered with a bright smile. "Do you have any ideas to suggest?"

"Actually, I thought of playing a few games with you, now that we haven't played in a while and for the past couple of months."

"That's great idea!" She cheered gleefully upon hearing his suggestion, but her excitement ceased when she saw a frown on his lips. "What's wrong?"

"Well, there's a problem." He stated, and she raised an eyebrow quizzically as he continued. "All of the games that we know can only be played outdoors, and when it's under that condition, we can't enjoy it due to the fear and risk of being ambushed."

"So, I guess we'll have to come up with a game that be played indoors, if that's your point." She said as she glanced at him, and he nodded in agreement.

"Exactly."

"Well, you're good in coming up with new games and fun stuff, so how come you're having trouble with it?" She asked in a puzzled tone, and he shook his head.

"No, I didn't have any problems coming up with one. It's just such a coincidence that you woke up just when I was about to create one." He answered, and she couldn't help but let out a giggle at such occurrence.

"Sorry." She smiled heart-warmingly, and he reciprocated it in return. "I'll help you out then, since there's lots of time for me to swim later on, and maybe we'll play this game we're inventing first before going for it. Plus, like I said before, I have nothing to be filled in for my plan today except my usual hobby."

"Thanks." And both wolves began to brainstorm through the objective they shared.

Minutes went by as their minds began to craft new ideas and they suggested theirs to each other in hopes of forming a game that was completely unique and joyful to play from all the games they've participated in. Strangely, it took an unusual long duration for them to come up with creative and amazing ideas; they usually require a few minutes or so to fully create an exciting game due to their nature and talents as Omegas in the past. The cause of this may be their loss in nature and their mind being set into a 'lone-wolf' mode, where it mainly focused on their survival and safety, and there's no such word as 'fun' or any terms related to it in its dictionary.

Finally, after an hour of brainwork and feast on their rabbits at the same time, they constructed an intriguing-yet-tiring game that relies on your physical strength, and named it 'Guess with the Strength'. The game can have a minimum of two and maximum of five players, and there are two roles; the pretender and the guesser. The rule was simple; each player will take turn to be the pretender, where he or she will act as anything or anyone he or she thought of in his or her mind, and the others will be the guesser and have to guess the person or object he or she is acting as. If the person fails to guess it right, he or she will have to do five push-ups, and its number will gradually increase by one if the same player failed to guess it right once again. If the guesser got it right, the pretender will have to do the required amount of push-ups. Additionally, if the punished player failed to perform the required number of push-ups, he or she will be disqualified and the game will proceed till one player remains who'll be the winner.

This game seems fair for both of them, since they're not as strong as the Alphas, but it can't ignore the fact that males are naturally muscular than females, which caused an imbalance of fairness in between the genders, and so Humphrey allowed Lilly to reduce her punishment by two, which she gave a nod in agreement to.

Both wolves felt a surge of energy rushing through their whole body as they haven't played a single game for such a long time, and here they were, breaking that long record of time. They've already finished their meal, and were sitting infront of each other with a gleeful smile.

"Alright. So, who'll go first?" Lilly questioned in excitement.

"I'll do it." Humphrey volunteered as he raised a paw in the air.

"Okay. Let's begin." She stated, and Humphrey looked away for a moment as he scavenged for a creature or object seen in his whole life that was stored in his memories before looking back with confidence written on his face, feeling certain that he will receive the first victory in their masterpiece.

She watched quizzically as he began by chasing after his tail for half a minute before sitting on the cold floor and licking his paw while purring adorably. The clues she had gathered from his act wasn't really aiding her in leading towards a specific animal, but what she knew for sure was that the creature he had personalized as must be a feline or a hound; only these two species of animals would express such behavior naturally in this world. She browsed through her mind for a list of animals that were under those two species, and strangely-yet-unexpectedly, an answer automatically arose in her mind, which surprised her as she turned towards him slightly wide-eyed.

"Is it… a cat?" She asked with a slight uncertain in her tone, and his eyes widened.

"Yeah! How did you know?" He questioned curiously.

"I don't know." She replied, and accompanied by a shrug.

"I was expecting you to answer 'Cheetah'." He said, and it raised an eyebrow from her.

"I doubt a Cheetah would behave like that." She chuckled. "What makes you think that way?"

"Well, a Cheetah _is _a feline, and so I thought that all felines have the same behavior." He explained before trailing off with his head turning away from her. "But I do hope that I get the chance to see one." And she let out another chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure that even if we saw one, we won't be alive to tell anyone about it." She stated, and he turned back towards her in curiosity. "My mom told me long before that a Cheetah can run at lightning speed."

"How does she know that?"

"She and my dad encountered one before during their honeymoon, and they barely escaped from its chase." And his eyes widened once again in shock.

"Wow… I take back my words of hoping to meet one personally." He made a deep gulp of his saliva from the sudden fear that rushed through his mind and she let out a giggle as her comment on his hilarious reaction.

"Anyway, I suppose you should begin with your punishment." She said playfully, and he rolled his eyes before standing up and getting into a push-up position beside her.

"Go!" She cued, and he began with his punishment, tensing and revealing his hidden charming body shape to her.

She was the first she-wolf to witness his stunning body muscles that he'd built through the whole six months, and this not only brought a gleeful smile on her lips, but gave her a remembrance of Garth's handsome looks and amazing body shape. She could picture him doing several push-ups with ease while staring at her with eyes full of kindness and affection towards her, and it made her smile grew larger. She felt no pain or sadness from this as her heart hungered for his love and warm embrace, which unexpectedly created a spark of courage within her that hasn't happened since the day they left Jasper.

It took her several seconds to notice a paw that was waving close to her face and she shook her head while blinking a few times as she returned back to reality, and found Humphrey staring at her with eyes filled with worry.

"Are you okay?" He asked, slightly backing away as he was standing too close to her.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." She replied with a gleeful smile. "Are you done with your punishment?"

"Yeah, and I suppose it's your turn to be the pretender now." He smiled, which she reciprocated it cheerfully.

"Alright." She said in excitement before trailing off as she scrolled through the choices that she has in her mind, and her face lit up as she finally came to one.

Humphrey watched as she began by walking towards the side walls of the cave and pecked her muzzle on it as fast as she could with her forelegs placed behind her back. A puzzled expression formed on his face as he felt that he's seen this action before, but he couldn't remember when he witnessed it nor where. However, he does know that it was a bird, judging by where her forelegs were placed. He continued to watch her performance in silence, with his head tilting from left to right quizzically as he gathers the clues hinted by her, but sadly, his examining time was running short as she was beginning to tire due to the strenuous action that she was doing.

Unexpectedly, she stopped after a minute and was unwilling to continue on as she clearly knew that an uncomfortable deep sore would surely grow in her neck if she did, and turned towards Humphrey who stared at her curiously at her sudden halt.

"My neck muscles are straining, so please tell me that you have an answer." She said as she gave her aching muscles a relaxing massage with both paws.

Humphrey, however, was still staring at her with looks of stupidity and gave her a surprising reply. "I have no idea what you're acting as."

Lilly's jaw dropped with her eyes widened in shock before planting a paw on her face. Her performance has already given him a huge clue as to what that animal she was performing as was, and she didn't expect him to _not _know the answer.

She slowly slid her paw off her face and gave him an irritated glance.

"Do you seriously not know?" She questioned, hoping that he was fooling around with his reply earlier, and he shook his head blankly.

"No, I don't. What was it?" He asked, and she let out a depressed sigh before staring back at him.

"It's a Woodpecker." She answered, and yet he still gave her a puzzled expression.

"A what?" He raised an eyebrow and she planted a paw on her face once again before sliding it off and looking back at him.

"A Woodpecker, the bird that can drill holes on trees." She stated, and his expression remained the same. "We _did _see one in our journey, Humphrey. Don't you remember?"

He trailed off for a moment as he searched for the specific memory that contained the animal they were talking about, but to no avail. "No, I don't think I do. What did we do when we saw it?"

"Well, we took a few glances at it and you insist on trying to communicate with it, which I think was a bad idea as it was busy drilling a hole on a tree in search for food." She explained.

"What happened in the end?" He asked, feeling intrigued by the silly idea he had thought of long before, and she giggled at thought of what happened next.

"You climbed the tree to try to get closer to it, and sadly, you annoyed it when you were at close proximity and all it did was giving you a few pecks on the head before you climbed back down at top speed." She finished, and this somehow allowed him to remember that event as his face lit up.

"Oh, right. Now I remember." He said, and she let out another giggle. "I thought it would be friendly to us, judging by its appearance."

She shook her head with a smile. "Never judge a book by its cover. Remember that."

"Alright." He smiled before standing up for his second punishment. "Damn, you're good at this game, and we're the first two wolves to play it."

"Keep those words to yourself first, it's too early to come to that conclusion… or maybe it isn't." She teased, and he could sense a challenge hinted from her, which he definitely accepted it.

"Oh, it is." He stated in a challenging tone, which she could only reply with a smirk.

Their game went on for an hour, with the sun already arrived at the center of the cloudy blue sky and was continuously moving towards the west silently without gaining any attention from the two lone wolves as they were completely distracted by the immense joy and fun they were having. Finally, they sprawled on the cold floor with their backs against each other in exhaustion from the strenuous work-out and acting that they did throughout the whole time spent. Lilly has won more rounds than Humphrey, and so it seems that she will be the first champion in the world in this game.

"Alright, I'm getting this out of my mouth now. You're very, _very _good in this game." He stated after recovering his breath and she laughed.

"Thank you. I had an extreme work-out in exchange for that, and it was worth it." She replied, and it was his turn to let out a laugh.

"Well, I did more than you, and it was all for nothing." He sighed in disappointment, and she giggled.

"It builds up your muscles, so your effort isn't wasted." She reasoned, and he chuckled before nodding slowly.

"I guess you're right." He smiled. "Well, I'm taking a quick nap. My body's terribly exhausted. What about you?"

"Likewise." She answered, and both wolves shut their eyes as an end to their conversation and slowly lost consciousness.

Clouds began to cluster as their bodies rested, changing its fluffy white shape and beautiful snow colour into a massive and dark cumulonimbus, towering above and masking over the green land while giving the once peaceful sky a dull grey appearance. Although the monstrous cloud has completely loomed over the land of nature, it wasn't able to block out the sun as it has already moved mid-way from the center of the sky, and was estimated to be the beginning of evening. Humphrey and Lilly were already awake a few minutes before this time, and surprisingly, they were outside their den instead of staying in. Humphrey was making a quick hunt for some rabbits to replenish their rations as he wouldn't want to do so at the last minute or when it finished, while Lilly was enjoying her hobby of studying the medicinal plants whilst waiting for his return.

She looked up at the humongous black cloud that loomed above her as its dark shade that bathed the whole land abruptly disturbed her study, and a frown formed on her lips as she knew that it was about to release its heavy showers on her anytime soon. She didn't have her pleasant swim in the pool as it wasn't the right time to do so, and wondered if she should stay for a few more minutes for Humphrey's return, in case he required assistance in carrying some of his hunts. However, another choice came to her that she should return to their den and wait for him in there instead, and it seemed to be the best option for her. And so, she got up onto her four paws and gave one last glace at the darkened woods where Humphrey has disappeared into before walking over to the large pool.

Unexpectedly, just when she was about to tackle the water and swim back to her den, her senses alerted her that something- or someone- was approaching, and she immediately turned her head back towards the shadowy woods. She focused her vision on the dark wolf silhouette that was walking towards her position, and as she took a few steps forward to have a closer inspection at its shape, her face changed from a relieving smile into a shock of horror.

It _wasn't_ Humphrey.

She stood still in fear, her mind panicking in what she should do under this situation. She dearly hoped that Humphrey was here right now; he would've thought of what to do in an instant. Sadly, before she could come up with a solution and calm herself down, two more silhouettes emerged from the shadows.

There were _three_ unknown wolves fast approaching.

A sudden chill shrouded her body, with fear running through her veins and sweat formed on her paws. She was completely stoned into place, and could do nothing but wait for the unknown visitors to reveal themselves. As the first wolf stepped into the faint light, it revealed to be a large muscular male whose pelt was black with a white underbelly, followed by another male with a brown pelt and medium-sized muscle, and the last was also a male with light grey pelt and similar muscle shapes as the brown wolf. These wolves were laughing and giggling about a topic that was unknown to her, although she doesn't have any interest in knowing it, until they caught sight of the white she-wolf and their laughter ceased in an instant. An evil grin slowly formed on their faces, and she knew during that moment that she's in deep trouble.

_If that's where they came from, then…_ Her eyes widened in shock and her fears shot up by the thought of this. _Oh no… Humphrey! _

She couldn't run back into her den as it would be a foolish decision; it would corner herself and kill off her chances of escaping. She mind was completely empty at this point, her heart beating at top speed and her breath continuously panting at a fast pace.

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here." The brown wolf began, his emerald eyes fastened on the she-wolf. "That's one beautiful lady."

"Yeah. I wonder why she's here all alone." The light grey wolf said sarcastically, before turning his dark sapphire eyes towards the black wolf. "What should we do, Jayce?"

The black wolf made a short pause before answering. "I think we should enjoy this opportunity we finally received, Jax. The boss always gets the first taste of sex on all the women he has and let us have the leftovers after that, but now it seems like we'll have this one first before him." He chuckled as he stared at Lilly with eyes filled with lust. "Let's have some fun, shall we, Jax and Joe?"

"Of course." Jax replied evilly.

"Definitely." Joe answered with a devilish smirk.

Lilly's fear rose higher due to not only the fact that she was about to be raped, but they were from a pack, and their territory may be nearby from her and Humphrey's current den. She had nowhere else to run as they had her edged to the bank of the pool, and they outnumbered her along with their overwhelming strength. She was trembling like a leaf at this point, and her eyes were shifting from left to right of the woods in search for any signs of Humphrey, and that's when she noticed it.

There, stalking behind Joe, was a grey male wolf, crawling on the grass silently and taking precautions in his every step. Lilly tried her best to not stare at him as to not gain any attention towards him, and she did very well as the three pack wolves weren't turning their heads around to investigate her glances at the woods.

After a few steps made by the unwelcomed guests, Humphrey took the golden opportunity as he pounced at his target, catching him by surprise and aimed for his neck. Jayce and Jax turned towards the sudden attack with eyes widened in shock, so was Lilly as she stared at the terrifying incident occurring infront of her. Humphrey successfully grabbed hold of his victim's neck and applied his full force on it, causing Joe to cry in grievous pain, before twisting it and creating a loud _crack_. Jayce and Jax stood in horror as Humphrey released his grip on their dead friend who was silenced forever as he collapsed on the ground with blood spraying out of his open wound like a water hose, and several droplets of it stained on Humphrey's face. This bloody sight made him looked like a murderer to her, which her eyes have never witnessed before in her entire life, but she couldn't judge him that way as he was trying to keep her safe.

Humphrey stared down at Joe's lifeless body for a few seconds before facing towards Jayce and Jax with a deathly glance.

"You mutts better get out of here, and stay away from her!" He spat angrily.

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><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER! What every author love to do, of course. Looks like the trouble starts with these three pack wolves, which is terrible for Humphrey and Lilly. Will they be able to defeat them or escape? Find out in the next chapter. My OCs will be coming into play soon, so be prepared. As always, leave a reviewfollow/favourite. It helps me out a lot and I'll see you in the next. Peace out. -LoverWolfs1121**

**EDIT: I've changed 'Jack', the wolf from this chapter into 'Jax' because I've already named someone 'Jack' back at part 2 of the Prologue, to avoid confusion in the future.**


	5. PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

**PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: **

Hey guys! LoverWolfs1121 here, and first of all, I would like to apologize sincerely to you guys for not updating 'Dormant Endearments' for an unusually long time, and killing off your hope of this to be the chapter you wanted to read. Now, to the main point of this note.

The reasons why this has occurred is because I've been terribly busy due to the re-opening of my school, and I have tuitions almost every day as I'll be having my biggest exam this year, and that is the 'O' Level examination. I'll be taking it earlier on June, so I won't be expecting 'Dormant Endearments', or DE for short, to be updated before or during that month. As for the spare times, well, I slept it off to replenish my strength for studying. Another reason is that I've been lacking motivation to write the next chapter due to some reasons that are unknown to me; it's either I'm stuck at one part of the chapter or… I don't know.

The number of words for the next chapter that I'm currently working on is at 3000 words, and I'll _try _to finish it whenever I have the spare time, which I doubt that would happen, to not leave my work unfinished half-way.

All of the reasons stated led to a conclusion that I've been thinking carefully for the past few days, and that is I'll be putting DE on hiatus for several months. But do not fret! I won't leave this story unfinished as it isn't my style of work and I'll definitely come back when all of my problem's solved, despite how bad the community of the A&O archive is.

Well, I guess that's about it. I hope you guys can understand and wait for my return. Also, please _**do not review on this note**_. I like to keep my reviews on my story and notes separated. PM me instead if you have any doubts. Peace out!

-LoverWolfs1121


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